Copple urged communities to provide consistent and persistent messages and adopt comprehensive and inclusive approaches to educate the public about methamphetamine. Methamphetamine, which can be snorted, smoked, taken orally, or injected, affects the central nervous system. It reduces the need for sleep in an individual and brings an increase in energy and confidence levels for hours.
Many meth addicts exhibit violent behavior, and experience delusions and severe paranoia.
Meth also is currently cheaper than cocaine and its high lasts longer. But perhaps one of the most important factors that continues to alarm officials is how meth can be produced relatively easily using ordinary household products. By mixing together common cold medications containing ephedrine with other chemicals, meth can be made quickly and inexpensively. Guy Hargreaves, a DEA agent, said one of the reasons for meth trafficking being more mainstream is the low start-up costs for meth labs. Meth labs are increasingly becoming a public safety hazard, Hargreaves said.