Because of the drug’s high potential for misuse, it is rarely prescribed for these treatments and is prescribed in very low doses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 36,251 people died from overdosing on psychostimulants in 2023. This is a slight increase compared to the previous year, which saw 35,550 deaths in 2022. Methamphetamine is one of the primary culprits contributing to overdose deaths in the U.S. involving stimulants other than cocaine. She cautioned, however, that the focus on meth likely pulled attention from other drugs that were on the rise at the time, including heroin and opioids. On Thursday’s St. Louis on the Air, Weeks explored Missouri’s important role in the spread of meth, including how chemists turned to cough medicine as a key ingredient.
The drug is a highly addictive substance and can cause physical dependence. Meth addiction leads users to seek out more of it, thus creating a cycle that is difficult to break out of. There were an estimated 11 million people in the country illegally in January 2022, according to the latest estimate by U.S.
EPD cites 15 meth lab seizures in 2017 and five so far in 2018, a decrease of about 88 percent from the time the 2014 study was published. The below maps show where meth labs have been identified and seized. Indiana, Tennessee, and Missouri have the highest rates of lab incidence. These days, the United States Drunk People Feel Soberer around Heavy Drinkers is consistently seizing more methamphetamine along its southwest border with Mexico than any other drug except for marijuana, which is moved in bulk quantities and is far less potent than methamphetamine.
Because California is one of the top ten states with meth problems, our rehab center dedicates all of its efforts to helping patients achieve long-term sobriety. In addition to our medically monitored detox programs, we also offer various forms of addiction treatment, including treatment for crystal meth users. According to the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), approximately 1.2 million people (0.4% of the population) reported using methamphetamine in the past year alone, and 440,000 (0.2%) reported using it in the past month.
The drug is most prevalent in Perth among urban areas, while regional NSW has the highest usage in rural areas. Michigan has the second-highest overall drug use of any state in the U.S. State authorities claim that Kalamazoo is the “epicenter” of meth in Michigan. Opioids are a much larger problem in New York and usually take the headlines over methamphetamine. New York City and its many nightclubs are typically the targets of meth suppliers. With the opioid epidemic wreaking havoc in cities across the United States in the past few decades, other substances like methamphetamine, also known as meth, have not been as heavily covered on the news.
There may be quite a bit of undocumented methamphetamine use in these countries. Africa has traditionally been perceived as a transit country for drugs that are headed to the Far East. As a result, certain drugs of abuse have become popular in certain sections of Africa.
Incorporating group therapy, individual sessions with psychologists and trained substance abuse counsellors, and 12-step programs, PsychMed calls the Matrix Program “the gold standard therapeutic approach for methamphetamine dependence”. In 2021, about 2.5 million (0.9% of the population) people aged 12+ reported using methamphetamine in 2020. Such initiatives include educating the public on the dangers of drug use and providing resources to those seeking help. The challenge is ensuring such measures are implemented in all meth capitals nationwide.
However, completely stamping out the industry may prove challenging. Afghanistan’s poppy production has been on the rise for years, comprising 177,000 hectares (438,000 acres) in 2021—enough to produce 650 tons of heroin. In fact, Afghanistan’s production of opiates totaled $1.8-$2.7 billion USD in 2021, making up as much as 14% of the country’s GDP. The Kansas City Star and the Los Angeles Times must have put the phrase on a hot key in 2003, repeatedly claiming Jackson County and Riverside County, respectively, as the capital. Everybody concedes that New York City is the financial capital of the world, Los Angeles the entertainment capital, and Tokyo its sushi capital. Czech Republic also ranks second on the list for meth use, while cocaine was more popular in France.
To increase the product’s strength, the meth “cook” combines the substance with chemicals such as battery acid, drain cleaner, lantern fuel and antifreeze. These dangerous chemicals are potentially explosive, and because the meth cooks are potentially drugged out and disoriented, they are often severely burned and disfigured or killed when their preparations explode. This may reflect the tendency for many of these substances to be laced with other potentially dangerous drugs like fentanyl. Much of the methamphetamine that comes into the United States or that is illegally smuggled to other parts of the world, comes from Central America and South America.