How Does Methamphetamine Affect Society

The Meth Epidemic was a time where an abundance of individuals across the United States was exposed to meth. It became an addiction that could not be stopped. Higher officials done everything they could to stop it but meth always found its way to others. Unfortunately, this has affected society because of the high crime rate it has caused. Hence, their addiction has caused them to make decisions that has affected society and causing others to make serious decisions.

Crystal meth, or ice, is the perfect destructive drug. It’s easy to make, cheap to buy, highly addictive, and it’s everywhere. And you don’t need to touch ice to be its victim. It is intersecting with every aspect of Australian’s lives, destroying families, causing carnage on our roads and murder in our homes.

Meth was originally used for medical purposes; it was used to help treat narcolepsy (wanting to sleep), obesity (being overweight), and Attention Deficit

The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids’ campaign for The Meth Project- Meth: Not Even Once “was founded in 2005 by the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation, in response to the growing Meth epidemic in the U.S. Today, the Meth Project is a program of the national nonprofit organization The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. The Meth Project is a large-scale prevention program aimed at reducing Meth use through public service messaging, public policy, and community outreach. Central to the program is a research-based marketing campaign, community action programs, and an in-school lesson all designed to communicate the risks of Meth use” (http://www.methproject.org/about).

In the article published in 2010, “Methamphetamine Discourse: Media, Law, and Policy”, written by Susan Boyd and Connie I. Carter, Boyd and Carter examine how individual and community beliefs about methamphetamine are influenced by various forms of media including article text, news photos, and headlines (220). More specifically, Boyd and Carter examine how media may be used to spread certain ideologies about drug use, the users, as well as the producers to the point where drug scares install and federal policies are adjusted (220). Through analysis of The Province (“The menace of crystal meth,” 2005), Boyd and Carter conclude that individuals involved in the drug trade, either as a user or as a producer, are often used to distract the public

outside suppliers and distributers, local meth “cooks,” and customers – i.e. addicts. In the book

Methamphetamine: A Love Story is a book documenting the lives of various people who were immersed in the culture of using, selling, and manufacturing methamphetamine. Through interviews with over 30 individuals, Rashi Shukla brings to light the drastic effects that manifested when this drug took over their lives. Shukla aims to “illuminate this dark world,” (Shukla 2016, p. 11), and to provide insight as to why methamphetamine becomes more than just a drug to those involved with it.

According to “Persuasion, Reception and Responsibility,” by J. Scudder, Montana has had a serious drug addiction problem. Not just any drug, but a heavy, highly addictive, laboratory engineered chemical, known as methamphetamine (meth). Scudder states that over half their population was on meth. The addiction of meth did not discriminate based on age or on the user. Young teens were using meth. The drug abuse literally destroyed their lives and the community. The rate of children in foster care rose drastically because meth destroyed families and made everyday interactions unbearable.

Drugs like methamphetamine are extremely addictive and likewise can quickly put users into a state of drug addiction characterized by “uncontrollable and compulsive drug seeking and use” (Estrada, 3/29/17). Thus, even though these individuals often do not have the intention of causing harm to others, the lack of self-control and rational thinking that accompanies drug use can negatively impact the entire community in a powerful way. To be specific, Dr. Thomas Drouhard, a general surgeon in Tuba City, discusses the increased violence associated with meth use among American Indians within the film. He shares that out of all the patients he examines, “every other trauma, every other stab wound, and every other assault is related to meth” (00:19:02-00:19:10). As his account suggests, the impaired cognitive abilities and irritability of meth users can cause them to be quick to anger and lash out violently bringing harm to shocking numbers of innocent people.

This nation is facing a problem with a powerful stimulant, known as Meth. Meth is a highly addictive drug that is, and a hard to kick. Meth is a huge money making business so the marketing of the drug is not only targeted to adults, but the younger generation as well. Despite the effort with the war on drugs, Law Enforcement is facing a tough battle of controlling the clandestine meth labs, and meth brought to the United States from Mexico. Meth not only hurts the user, but families, and communities as well. Education and awareness to the public can help with the battle on Meth. Although through education, intervention, and rehabilitation there is help to combat meth abuse, meth is a potent dangerous drug that destroys lives,

“Along with the selling of the drug, methamphetamine labs can breed crime, including burglaries, theft and even murder (Community Impact from Methamphetamine, 2015)”. A person high on methamphetamine could potentially end up hurting themselves or some else. People have been killed for not owing up to a drug payment or coming though on a transaction (Community Impact from Methamphetamine, 2015). It is very dangerous to have this type of person living in a community. It endangers everyone and the outcome of the situation is

It was developed in Japan in 1919 with little research for what it could do to the body. Methamphetamine was easily used because it could be dissolved in water making it have the characterization of an injectable drug. During World War 2, between 1939 and 1945, Meth was used at large amounts to keep soldiers awake and alert. They didn't know that they were really giving these soldiers an addicting high. During the 1950s it was then diagnosed as an antidepressant and a diet aid making it more commonly used. By the 1960s it was being abused even more due to the fact that it was a common drug that was able to be used as medicine (“Foundation for a Drug Free World”). It was also easier to access. Today Meth is transported to the US by Mexico. It is produced in large laboratories in Mexico but is also produced here in the US in toxic labs which explains how bad it is alone. Meth was used in the past like it was good for us and no big deal but now the real dangers and risks are known for this

The addiction of methamphetamine amongst juvenile’s and adults has reached epidemic proportions that affect the individual, families and communities. Methamphetamine abuse has crossed all social economic boundaries that have negatively impacted law enforcement, social and clinical services. According to Anglin, Burke, Perrochet, Stamper and Dawud-Noursi (2000), methamphetamine, also known as meth, crystal, or speed, is a substance that affects the central nervous system creating a stimulant effect that can be injected, smoked, snorted, or ingested orally. Individuals who use meth for an extensive period of time tend to become addicted and will likely need to continue to use meth at high levels for its effects to continue to provide the euphoric symptoms and sensations. Anglin, et al, also describe methamphetamine as a derivative of amphetamine, this form of amphetamine was often used for medication purposes in the 1950’s and 1960’s to treat symptoms of depression and obesity. Durell, Kroutil, Crits-Christoph, Barchha, and Van Brunt (2008), also stated that illicit methamphetamine use is a public health concern in the United States with an increase use among teens and young adults in the 1990s. The Mental Health Services Administration conducted a national survey on meth use in the United States and found that currently as least a half a million of Americans used or have used methamphetamine. Meth use is an epidemic that is slowly becoming a destructive

If you have ever seen the movie The Wolf on Wall Street, there is no doubt you have seen the effects drugs can have. Leonardo DiCaprio portrays a high-strung stock broker reliant on a multitude of illegal drugs to keep up with his hectic life style. His addiction gets so severe that at one point in the movie, he is lying on the floor, unable to move due to the drugs’ effects on his body. Even though the movie is set in the 90’s, a decade infamous for its use of drugs, today, drug usage and abuse has never been more of an issue. According to Alice Park (2016), “More people died of drug overdoses in 2014 in the U.S. than in any other year” (p.49). What people fail to realize is that drug abuse effects more than just the individual that uses them. The loved ones trying to support the user, the community the user is in, can all be affected by drug abuse. In fact, all members of society are affected by the abuse of drugs. In short, no one benefits from drug abuse. In the words of the Nation Institute of Drug Abuse, “Drug abuse is a major public health problem that impacts society on multiple levels. Directly or indirectly, every community is affected by drug abuse and addiction, as is every family. Drugs take a tremendous toll on our society at many levels” ( Magnitude, 2016).

Meth is not only highly addictive it is easily "cooked" in homes across the country. Unlike some drugs, which are derived from natural sources, meth includes an array of dangerous chemicals. These chemicals can include battery acid, rat poison and motor oil.