Transcript CRYSTAL METH A Presentation By Heather Balogh Stueck’s

CRYSTAL METH
A Presentation By Heather Balogh, BSc, BSP student
Stueck Pharmacy, Leader, SK
Outline
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Background on its use in SK
The high
Short and long term consequences
How it is made
Associated crime
AKA:
Crystal Meth Street Names
• Current: girls or jib or ladies
• Smoked form: crystal, ice, glass, tina
• Other street names: crank, yaba, gak, meth,
speed, poorman’s coke, duck, yak
Patterns of Use
• After its first known appearance in 2000, crystal
meth use escalated in Saskatchewan at an
alarming rate of 200% per year
• Currently, the use of crystal meth is
Saskatchewan is considered steady
• Although use is not declining, it is also not
escalating as dramatically in previously years
• This does NOT mean it will stay that way
Who is it?
• In 2000, crystal meth was mainly being used by
middle to upper class Caucasians
• The rave scene
• Approximately 15-25 year old age range; but this
is not exclusive
• Now, IV drug users and the sex trade industry
are turning to crystal meth
• Urban AND rural settings!
Crystal Meth High
• Crystal meth is a stimulant drug
• The high lasts considerably longer compared with
cocaine
• Euphoria: an marked feeling of being well; elation
• Decreased need to sleep, loss of appetite, muscle
twitching, faster heart rate, faster breathing rate, higher
body temperature, paranoia, hyperactivity
• Pupil dilation
pupil constriction
• Crashing or ‘tweaking’ phase
The “Tweaking” Phase
• Coming down from the high or crashing
• 2-15 days since the last time they slept
• Users want another hit of crystal meth, but cannot
regain the original high at this point
• Leads to frustration, paranoia, and violence
• Marijuana or benzodiazepines are often used to combat
the insomnia
• Users will crash and sleep continuously for up to 2 days
Appearance of ‘Tweakers’
• Crystal meth addicts do not
perceive themselves as any
different than they were
before they began using
• They look in the mirror and
do not see any changes in
their appearance
• Scabs on skin from obsessive
picking
• Scabs between the knuckles
from snorting
• Skin and bones
• Hair thinning
• Deterioration of the teeth
• Dark circles under the eyes
• Strong odor
• Raw throat and nose
Progression
The Change
3 years and 5 months
Forms of Crystal Meth
• Crystal meth can be smoked, ingested, injected,
or snorted
• AKA: puddling, parachuting, banging, knuckling
• Crystal meth can be used on its own, but is
often found laced in other drugs: ecstasy or
cocaine pills, cigarettes and marijuana joints
• Laced marijuana: very chemical-like odor and
taste; the high will be a combination of a
marijuana high and a crystal meth high
Paraphernalia
Appearance of Crystal Meth
Appearance of Crystal Meth
Appearance of Crystal Meth
Appearance of Crystal Meth
Appearance of Crystal Meth
Appearance of Crystal Meth
Appearance of Crystal Meth
Appearance of Crystal Meth
Ingesting
Paraphernalia
“Well, I just want to try it once!”
• After one use, it will take your brain up to TWO
YEARS to repair itself
• It’s like trying to eat just one potato chip!
• If one hundred people were to try crystal meth
together, ninety of those people would be
addicted to the drug after ONE SINGLE USE!
‘Their souls seem to have left their
bodies’
The Long Term Consequences
• PERMANENT BRAIN DAMAGE
• It is becoming increasingly common for people
who have abused crystal meth in the past to be
diagnosed with psychiatric disorders
• This includes bipolar disorder, schizophrenia,
and chronic short term memory loss
Damaged Brain Cells Do NOT
Regenerate
Vascular Damage
Irreversible Damage and Scarring
And the Other Arm…
Irreversible Gum and Enamel
Damage
Overdosing
• Present to hospital with
same signs and
symptoms as a heart
attack
• Increased heart rate,
increased breathing rate,
chest pain, confusion, a
coma
Kicking the Habit
• The detoxification phase takes 28 days
• Treatment of the addiction takes 170 days
• Addiction treatment facilities in Saskatchewan
have programs that are 28 days long
• The addict therefore gets time to detoxify, but
then is sent back out into the community
without treatment of the actual addiction
Kicking the Habit
• Bottoming out
• Family and friends must not condone nor enable the
drug use
• Enabling the drug use includes giving them a place to
live, allowing the user to continue to steal from you
• Most abusers hit bottom when they become homeless
or are prosecuted for petty crimes
• Pressing criminal charges or kicking them out of the
house may seem harsh, but may also serve as a wake up
call to the addict.
The Rural Setting
• Crystal meth is penetrating into farming
communities
• There is usually at least one person in the area
who will go into the city and experiment with
crystal meth. It is then introduced into the
community and surrounding area
• Crystal meth labs are easy to set up…and they
go easily undetected in a rural setting
Meth Labs
• The ‘Nazi’ method…it only takes 45 minutes
from start to finish to make crystal meth on a
small scale
• Nothing fancy is required for a meth
lab…crystal meth can be made in a truck!
• No large scale meth lab have been located as of
yet in Saskatchewan. Currently, the meth labs
are small scale productions…hence, easily
mobile and hard to bust
Mobile Meth Lab
Crystal Meth in the Making
Crystal Meth in the Making
• Pseudoephedrine or
ephedrine (cough and cold
products)
• Anhydrous ammonia (kitty
litter)
• Sulfuric Acid (drain cleaner)
• Muriatic acid (pool cleaner)
• Battery acid (lithium
batteries)
• Ether (quick start for
motors)
• Red phosphorous (road
flares)
Ingredients
Crystal Meth in the Making
Crystal Meth Labs
• 3-4 suspected in the province; 2 of those are confirmed
• Acute risk of fires and explosions that can wipe out
entire apartment buildings
• Result in permanent damage to buildings
• Inhabitants of houses/hotels previously used as meth
labs are presenting with rashes and asthma symptoms
due to the chemical irritants that are soaked into the
walls, ceilings, and carpets
• Often requires gutting of the building
What to look for
• Discarded, red-stained
coffee filters
• Discarded coffee filters
with white rock
• Discarded jugs and bottles.
propane torches, rubber
tubing and gloves, cheese
clothe, aluminum foil, lab
beakers
• Red stained glassware
Crime and Punishment
• Possession: ‘slap on the hand’
• Courts have failed to be aggressive in jailing
persons caught in possession of crystal meth
• Saskatchewan courts have yet to try a cystal
meth lab
• Problem: the courts are not educated in how to
deal with the issue of crystal meth
• Lots of regulations but very little to back up
those regulations in the form of laws
Petty Crime
• Although crystal meth is also referred to as
poorman’s cocaine, cocaine and crystal meth
actually sell for about the same price
• Addicts often resort to petty theft (vehicle and
house break and enters) to fund their use of
crystal meth
• Women especially turn to the sex trade to fund
their addiction
Stay Away!
• Do not hang out with people who do crystal meth; the more you
are around it, the more you may be tempted
• Do not experiment: crystal meth has a 90% addiction rate!
• The solution is not is rehabilitation after the fact…it is in never
starting to use crystal meth AT ALL
• Talk to someone (parents, teachers, health care professional) if
you have an questions or concerns
• If you see signs of crystal meth labs, report it to the local RCMP
• Be very weary of marijuana
• If you have friends or family who are users, do not enable them
References
• Constable Joanna Small bones, Saskatoon Drug Unit
• National Institutes on Drug Abuse:
http://www.drugabuse.gov/DrugPages/Methampheta
mine.html. Accessed Feb. 20, 2006.
• The Faces of Meth: http://www.oregonlive.com.
Accessed Feb 20, 2006.
• http://www.crystalrecovery.com. Accessed Feb 20,
2006.
•QUESTIONS?