It is considered a Schedule II stimulant, which means it has an eminent potential for misuse and abuse. Currently Meth is available legally only through a valid prescription that cannot have any refills, for any reasons.



Pure Methamphetamine (Meth) is a white colored, scentless, strongly bitter-tasting crystallized powder that easily dissolves in water or alcohol and is consumed orally, by snorting the powder (intranasal), injection and finally by smoking it.

Methamphetamine's legitimate medical uses are limited and the doses prescribed by a physician are much lower, than those normally abused by recreational users and addicts. Most of the methamphetamine (Meth) misused in this country comes from overseas or domestic professional Meth labs, although Meth is also routinely made in small, illegal garage labs, where its manufacturing endangers the makers, their neighbors, and the surrounding environment.

In the beginning meth abuse was isolated to strictly Hawaii and the western parts of the U.S. but at the moment, meth misuse continues to broaden eastward, with countryside and city areas increasingly being affected. According to one national survey conducted recently, in the order of 10 million people in the United States alone has tried meth at least once in their lifetime.

Methamphetamine is an addictive stimulant that is closely related to amphetamine, but actually has more outstanding and toxic effects on the central nervous system. Meth can be used numerous ways, it can be snorted, swallowed, injected, or smoked, and it is often taken in a mixture with other drugs.

In 2006, there were an estimated 731,000 current users of methamphetamine aged 12 or older (0.3 percent of the population). Of the 259,000 people who used methamphetamine for the first time in 2006, the mean age at first use was 22.2 years, which is up considerably from the mean age of 18.6 in 2005. From 2005 to 2006, lifetime methamphetamine abuse increased among those 26 and older, particularly among those 26–34 years of age.

Rates of past-year methamphetamine use among persons aged 12 years or older were the highest in the Western United States (1.6 percent), followed by the South (0.7 percent), Midwest (0.5 percent), and Northeast (0.3 percent) regions of the country.

Meth abuse can have devastating health effects leading to medical, mental, and social consequences on an addict and their family. Destructive health effects include memory loss, violent behavior, heart damage, undernourishment (due to lack of appetite), and severe dental problems (due to toxic inhaled meth fumes). Meth abuse also can contribute to increased transmission of transmittable diseases, such as hepatitis and HIV/AIDS, due to lack of control and increased sense of sexual stimulation.

Meth Mouth is a frequent condition amongst methamphetamine (meth, crank) drug users. Bad hygiene habits, dry mouth from the chemicals in methamphetamine, and general physical disregard result in rotted teeth and extremely bad breath.