Methamphetamine

1. Methamphetamine

2. Other names • P • Crystal meth • Crank • Speed • Ice • Chalk

3. History • Meth's parent drug, amphetamine, was widely distributed to army personnel during World War II. • Amphetamine-laced chocolate was routinely given to German soldiers. • From 1942 to 1945, Adolf Hitler reportedly received daily Methamphetamine injections to treat depression and fatigue.

4. What is it? • Methamphetamine (commonly known as ‘P’) is a synthetic substance that acts as a powerful stimulant of the central nervous system, and is closely related to amphetamine

5. What’s in meths…. • Items such as….. • Methylated spirits • Hydrochloric acid • Sulphuric acid • Iodine • Many which are found in shops. • Why put this type of poison in your body?

6. Crystal Meth

7. How is it taken? • Smoked • Injections • Swallowed • Snorted • Inserted anally

8. Powder

9. In New Zealand smoking methamphetamine powder is the most common mode of administration. • When smoked methamphetamine reaches the brain rapidly • Duration of effects is from 6 to 24 hours

10. How meth works? • Rollercoaster ride • High point • Low point

11. We produce Dopamine – key to human pleasure - make us feel good • ‘P’ causes brain to think that it needs the substance to stay alive – same message as if were starving, dehydrated etc • Cravings – e.g. drinking water if really thirsty – will drink whatever you can find

12. Roller coaster….why can’t we stop and just get off? • When we have a low – its very low…. want to be high again – • Need twice as much as last time to get same effects we had last time • Because when we take meth brain cells die

13. dopamine adhttps://www.montanameth.org/Meth_Info/brain_on_meth.php Internet linkDownload in My Videos

14. Just Once

15. Why is ‘P’ an issue? • In a quantitative research methamphetamine (94%), cannabis (58%) and alcohol (39%) were the drugs perceived to be causing serious harm in New Zealand communities. • Methamphetamine is probably the most widely consumed synthetic stimulant in the world, with high rates of prevalence of use in North America, east and south-east Asia, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand in comparison with most other countries

16. Methamphetamine is the only illegal stimulant commonly manufactured in New Zealand and its manufacture and sale are closely linked to organised criminal groups. • Its level of availability, prevalence of use and the harms associated with its manufacture and use are of concern. • It is also the stimulant most commonly associated with violence, antisocial behaviour and mental health problems. • Relatively high prevalence levels – 2% of the population report use of methamphetamine in 2008 - may be due to New Zealand’s geographical isolation and effective enforcement, which has led to a relative absence of alternative drugs. • Ease of availability of precursor substances, such as pseudoephedrine (PSE) and reagents and the ease with which these chemicals can be domestically manufactured into methamphetamine

17. In New Zealand, methamphetamine, in the form of relatively high purity powder or paste (‘pure’, or ‘base’, and commonly known as ‘P’) is significantly more widely available than amphetamine sulphate (i.e. ‘speed’). • Availability of PSE and absence of precursors to amphetamine. • In New Zealand, PSE is both an over-the-counter pharmacy medicine (available in lower dose and slow release preparations) and a prescription medicine (for higher doses) • Large volumes of higher-content PSE are also illegally imported into New Zealand, mainly from China.

18. Data from national household drug surveys and other population surveys suggests that methamphetamine in New Zealand ‘peaked’ about 2001 at around 5% of 15-45 year olds followed by a stabilisation and a gradual decline until 2009. • Other countries in the OECD, with the exception of Australia, Canada and parts of the USA, report much lower rates of methamphetamine use. However, they report higher prevalence of other Class A drugs (notably cocaine and heroin). • Recent surveys of frequent drug users indicate that levels of use among those still taking the drug are increasing.

19. Summary of why an issue • A recent survey showed that just over 2% of the population had used methamphetamine in the last year • Methamphetamine is a Class A drug, an so an absence of alternative Class A drugs due to New Zealand’s geographical isolation • ready availability of pseudoephedrine (PSE) – the precursor used in the manufacture of methamphetamine • Methamphetamine can be manufactured relatively simply with basic chemistry knowledge. • Easy to access and purchase.

20. DOH influencing • Cultural – class A drug accessible; • Political – illegal in nz; fines and imprisonment if convicted • Economic – relatively cheap to make and buy • Social – easy to access; Gangs; stress;

21. Complete consequence grid for Self, Others & Society • Imagine someone in you know is taking “P”. • Draw the following consequence grid and answer each impact. • What is the impact on self (the taker)? • What is the impact of family and friends? • What is the impact on community & society? Society Others Self

22. Physical Sweating Talkative Grinding Weight loss Teeth decay Increased energy Decreased appetite Mental More likely to engage in reckless or unwanted sex while under the influence. Anxiety, Agitation, Hallucinations Lack of hygiene and personal care, Blurred vision, Diarrhea, Sleeplessness, Stroke or heart attack. Without the drug, many users slip into a deep depression, making the cycle of addiction hard to break. Effects of Meth

23. Consequences/Implications • It increases the risk of cardiovascular problems, convulsions and mental health disturbances, including paranoia and violence. • Methamphetamine use is associated with violent behaviour, particularly for those with mental health problems, issues with anger and a predisposition for violence. • The illegal status of the drug contributes to social harms and makes some users unwilling to seek help. • Gangs and organised criminal groups (OCGs) are closely involved with methamphetamine.

24. Frequent users arrested by Police report that they obtain on average approximately $5,100 a month from drug dealing and $1,840 a month from property crime. Responding to methamphetamine takes considerable Police, Customs, Court, Corrections and Health resource. • Methamphetamine also leads to a number of economic harms, such as lost productivity.

25. Nearly 2,000 convictions were made for methamphetamine possession, use, supply, dealing and manufacture in 2007, and over 900 imprisonments resulted. • Methamphetamine cases have placed a significant burden on High and District Courts, and over $5m of legal aid is funded annually

26. Long term, heavy or dependant users of methamphetamine may experience a number of psychotic features, including paranoia, hallucinations and mood swings. • In addition to health harms for the individual, there are wider public health harms. • Methamphetamine manufacture causes environmental damage from the dumping of toxic pollutants in the waste water system. • The volatile organic compounds generated during manufacture stay in the compound’s porous substances such as fabrics and carpets, and if sites are not properly cleaned up, can cause long-term health problems for residents.

27. Social harms • Methamphetamine use is associated with violent behaviour, particularly if the user has a mental health problem, issues with anger, and a predisposition for violence. A number of high profile violent criminal acts committed by individuals using methamphetamine have caused widespread public concern. • Methamphetamine is damaging to relationships causing disconnection from family/whānau and community. Drug dealing damages communities. The illegal status of the drug also contributes to harm, including the dangers associated with manufacturing, buying and selling in a black market and the unwillingness of many users to acknowledge or report their use due to stigma and fear of their illegal activities being revealed. Communities face costs in repairing property damage from manufacture and replacing the property stolen to fund addictions and drug debts.

28. Crime and impact on the justice system • Organised criminal groups hold a major stake in methamphetamine supply in New Zealand. In 2007, Police identified that 73% of clandestine laboratories were connected to organised criminal groups. Weapons were found in just under one third of the clandestine laboratories detected. New Zealand Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (NZ-ADAM) data indicates that an arrested frequent methamphetamine user obtains approximately $5,100 from drug dealing per month and $1,840 from property crime per month. • The impacts of methamphetamine on the criminal justice sector are discussed below. Almost 2,000 convictions were made for methamphetamine possession, use, supply, dealing and manufacture in 2007, and over 900 imprisonments resulted. In 2008 there were 2,089 convictions for possession, use, supply, dealing and manufacture, and 930 imprisonments resulted. Methamphetamine cases take a significant amount of Police, Customs, Courts and Corrections staff resources and attention. • While there is no specific data on the role of methamphetamine in crime, the Department of Corrections notes that overall drug and alcohol misuse is a major driver. “Seven out of ten offenders apprehended by Police in 2007 were under the influence of drugs in the period leading up to their arrests. In 2008, approximately two-thirds of New Zealand prisoners had ongoing drug or alcohol problems.”1

29. Economic • There are a number of wider costs other than crime, associated with the use of drugs, including methamphetamine. These include health care costs; road crashes; production lost to the economy as a result of premature death; injury and disability; lost productivity and resources diverted from beneficial consumption or investment to drug production. • Intangible costs include: premature death as a result of drug misuse; and reductions in the quality of life due to pain, disability and lost well-being as a result of drug misuse. The National Committee for Addiction Treatment estimates a saving in social and community costs of $4 to $7 for every $1 spent on AOD treatment.2

30. Environment • Manufacturing a dangerous process • There are inherent risks in the manufacturing process due to the poisonous, explosive, corrosive, toxic and extremely flammable chemicals used. The process is dangerous for the cooks who are often inexperienced in the safe handling of chemicals, for the public, and for emergency services. • Some of the chemical processes involved in producing methamphetamine can produce highly toxic, deadly gases. These fumes and chemicals pose a significant safety issue for Police, ESR and other emergency personnel involved in the investigation and clean-up process. • Environmental pollution • A number of clandestine laboratory operators have been discovered dumping chemical waste into local water supplies, farmlands, venting fumes near schools and dumping volatile waste in rented sheds. • Every kilogram of manufactured meth produces around 7 kilograms of toxic by-product that is either flushed down toilets, or dumped outside - quite often in residential neighbourhoods. • Buildings can become contaminated with the chemical process containing carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) that pose a danger to future occupiers, especially children.

31. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGiqQi-c8o4 • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrWd97heJ-o&playnext=1&list=PLCA74C238AA586C6A • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQbeU9Gjg7E&playnext=1&list=PLC310FEDFDAED0FAD

32. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y21w8GCJYVk&playnext=1&list=PL0311979D01AB1444http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y21w8GCJYVk&playnext=1&list=PL0311979D01AB1444 • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vciWHGDH3Kg&NR=1 • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9zXLrKcHXI • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFcfyA1a0Hs&feature=related

33. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70nMQ9Fbjhw&feature=related • http://www.crimestoppers-nz.org/?page_id=2755 • http://www.methcon.co.nz/dvd.htm

34. 1-Department of Corrections, Drug and Alcohol Strategy 2009-2014. First data from NZ-ADAM based on urine samples, 2007. Second data from survey of prisoner sentence plans, October 2008. • 2-The New Zealand National Committee for Addiction Treatment (NCAT) has estimated the costs of providing New Zealand specific specialist AOD treatment compared with New Zealand Police and Justice (prison) costs and averaged the quoted estimate based also on a comparison of UK costings of providing treatment compared with other social service costs.

35. PERSONAL WELL-BEING • Tolerance rapidly sets in - meaning that greater and greater doses need to be taken to achieve the same effect. • Increased use commonly results in compounding paranoia, psychosis and extreme mood swings. • Intense craving for the drug often leads to repeated use for days on end, without sleep or food.

36. User seduced by initial high (unlike anything else) • Immediate addiction. • Symptoms - drug craving, extreme weight loss, loss of muscle tone, and tooth decay. • Depression, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia, extreme aggression. • Violent behaviour, anxiety, confusion, insomnia, paranoia, auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances, and delusions, brain damage, heart and kidney damage, cardiovascular collapse, and death.

37. Weight loss –

38. Bugging • Think they have bugs all over them and therefore…. • Brain tells them they are there but in reality they are not… • High pain threshold like ‘normal humans’

39. Appearance Change you tube clip Appearances change…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJIjWlLa8MU&feature=related

40. Teeth effects Dries out mouth

41. Psychosis- paranoia What is paranoia? • Would a normal person pick bugs off their body??? • Drugs cause this

42. RELATIONSHIPS • Use often leads to violence and violent offending such as serious assault and even homicide. Effects on others • Scared of person • Stressed and worried about the person and how they can help them • Loss of money (Stolen) • Loss of friend / family member (death)

43. Meth and children 35% Children in home’s with Meth labs 1 in 3 houses

44. Behavioural changes • Desperate behaviour - Effect on Self • Killing your parents – Effect on Friends and family

45. PUBLIC PROFILE • Reputations for some areas in NZ • Bad reputation for country

46. FINANCES - personal • Methamphetamine is expensive and users often fund their addiction by resorting to crime.

47. Cost of the addiction • $100 – 0.6 (dot) • $1000 – • $15000-$ 55, 000

48. FINANCES - societal • New Zealand Police have investigated an increasing number of homicides where the distribution, use or debts associated with methamphetamine have had a direct link to the crime. • Government money spent on P issues and not other services eg • Police have to deal with Labs, people on P and crimes committed by people on P • Hospitals have to deal with people hurt by P users and also P users • Mental Health Institutions have to deal with P users that end up with Mental illnesses

49. Police and meths lab

50. Lab explosion