title: Methamphetamine use: hazards and social influences.
abstract: Use of methamphetamine, a potent central nervous system stimulant, increased in the early- to mid-1990s in the United States, concentrated in the west, midwest, and south. The use and trade of methamphetamine was facilitated by a fairly simple production process and the involvement of numerous small entrepreneurs as well as drug-trafficking syndicates. National data from the 1994 Drug Abuse Warning network revealed that for the period from 1991 to 1994 methamphetamine use among short-stay hospital patients more than tripled, and methamphetamine-related deaths reported by medical examiner offices nearly tripled. In addition, the Treatment Episode Data Set revealed a 43 percent increase in treatment-program admissions in which clients identified methamphetamine as the primary drug of abuse. Nonetheless, methamphetamine use did not become widespread in the U.S. population. Low-income and unemployed young white men continue to be the group most likely to use methamphetamine, but by the mid-1990s the drug had increased in popularity in more diverse populations and regions. Economic and social pressures experienced by a broad array of Americans may partially explain expanded methamphetamine use; for example, depressed economic conditions in rural and semi-rural areas have contributed to methamphetamine's appeal as a source of income. A "war against drugs" approach has characterized the policy response, with increased criminal justice penalties. A public health approach is recommended, including prevention campaigns, harm-reduction outreach and treatment approaches, and pharmacologic and abstinence-based drug treatment approaches.
authors.affiliation: California State University, Chico, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wermuth
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009017:Morbidity; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012919:Social Behavior; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D008694:Methamphetamine