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Chapter II (continued)
5. Methamphetamine
General
— Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant that
can be manufactured using products commercially available anywhere
in the United States. The stimulant effects from methamphetamine
can last for hours, instead of minutes as with crack cocaine. Many
methamphetamine users try to alleviate the effect of a methamphetamine
"crash" by buffering the drug with other substances like alcohol
or heroin. As is the case with heroin and cocaine, methamphetamine
can be snorted, smoked, or injected. The chemicals used in producing
methamphetamine are extremely volatile, and the amateur chemists
running makeshift laboratories can cause deadly explosions and fires.
The by-products of methamphetamine production are extremely toxic
and present a threat to the environment. The El Paso Intelligence
Center estimates that clandestine methamphetamine laboratories,
each of which costs between $3,100 and $150,000 to clean up (depending
on size), produce as much as twenty metric tons of toxic waste each
year.60
Methamphetamine traffickers display no concern over environmental
hazards when manufacturing the drug and disposing of its chemical
by-products.
Federal
Methamphetamine Seizures
*Partial year data
Source: DEA, Federal-wide Drug Seizure System (FDSS)
Overall
usage — In 1998, the estimated number of persons who tried
methamphetamine in their lifetime was 2.1 percent of the population
(4.7 million). The 1998 figure was similar to 1997 and 1994 (2.5
percent and 1.8 percent), respectively. 61
While use of this drug is spreading east, methamphetamine continues
to be more common in the western U.S. The number of hardcore methamphetamine
users in 1998 was estimated to be 356,000 compared with 310,000
in 1997. 62
Use
among youth — According to the 1999 MTF,*
use of ice (crystal methamphetamine) among twelfth graders decreased
from 3 percent in 1998 to 1.9 percent in 1999.63
Data for crystal methamphetamine were only available for this age
group in the MTF survey. A statistically significant decrease in
lifetime methamphetamine use among twelve to seventeen-year-olds
occurred during 1997 to 1998, dropping from 1.2 to 0.6 percent.64
In the most recent CASA report, past-month methamphetamine use for
eighth graders in rural areas is 5.1 percent versus 2.5 percent
for their peers in larger cities.65
Methamphetamine
Clandestine Lab Seizures by the DEA
Source: Drug Enforcement Administration
Availability
— Methamphetamine is the most prevalent synthetic drug
clandestinely manufactured in the United States.66
Historically, the methamphetamine problem has been concentrated
in the west and southwestern United States. It is now in most major
metropolitan areas (except in the northeast) and is emerging in
small towns and rural communities.67
Methamphetamine manufacturing is experiencing unprecedented growth.
The total number of clandestine laboratories seized in 1998 exceeded
3,800.68
Clandestine laboratory seizures by the DEA alone increased from
1,382 in 1998 to 1,919 in 1999.69
From January 1998 to June 1999, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement
(operating in conjunction with the Midwest HIDTA) seized 522 labs
— a 442 percent increase from 1996 through 1997.70
This increase in seizures may reflect efforts by individuals operating
small clandestine laboratories on the periphery of the methamphetamine
market to exploit demand for the drug and satisfy personal use.71
Average
Price For Methamphetamine
*Based on annualized data through of 1998
Source: 1999 ONDCP-Adjusted from DEA STRIDE Data
Large
drug-trafficking organizations continue to be the United States'
major source of methamphetamine. According to consumption-based
modeling estimates, U.S. methamphetamine availability at the retail
level increased from 11.7 metric tons in 1997 to 15.9 metric tons
in 1998.72
The average retail price per pure gram of methamphetamine has been
decreasing since 1992.73
Click
here to view The Spread of Methamphetamine (62K)
*
The 1999 Monitoring the Future study asked twelfth graders only
two of six questionnaire forms about their use of crystal methamphetamine.
Consequently, small estimates resulted, and the reduced sample size
may cause a lack of reliability in measuring long-term trends.
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