It is a synthetic, highly addictive stimulant that is cheaper and longer lasting than cocaine. Methamphetamine comes in many forms and can be smoked, snorted, orally ingested, or injected. The drug is a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that can be dissolved in water or alcohol. When made in clandestine labs, it is often in the form of a coarse powder or chunks that are off-white to yellow. The drug is addictive, and users can escalate quickly to larger and more frequent doses.
Chronic abuse can lead to violent behavior.
The growing abuse of the drug is linked to its increasing availability and the fact that it can be easily manufactured from readily available chemical ingredients. Congress last summer passed the Comprehensive Methamphetamine Control Act establishing new controls over volume sales of the chemical ingredients used to produce the drug. Abuse of the drug now is being reported in urban settings in widening areas of the West, Midwest, and elsewhere. Honolulu and San Francisco also have substantial methamphetamine-using populations, according to CEWG data. Recent reports indicate increasing patterns of methamphetamine use in Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Seattle, and Tucson as well.