CRYSTAL METH

What is crystal methamphetamine?

  Methamphetamine is an addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system.  It is commonly known as speed, meth, and chalk in its powdered form is known as ice, crystal, crank, glass, and batu in its smoked form.  There is a difference in its form.  The crystalline form is very high in purity (90-100%) and lasts 7 to 24 hours while the powdered form varies in purity and the effects can last 2 to 4 hours.  It has a high potential for abuse and is available only through prescription that cannot be refilled.  The medicinal use is to treat attention deficit disorders and obesity.

How is methamphetamine used?

  Since methamphetamine comes in many forms there are many methods that it can be used.  It can be smoked, snorted, orally ingested, or injected.  The method chosen will determine the rate of time before a user feels its effects and what type of effects they will have.  The most common method of usage in Hawaii is smoked or inhaled.  A cylindrical glass pipe with one end shaped like a bulb is used.  The methamphetamine is place in the bulb end and heated with a lighter.  The heated “ice” turns into a vapor, which is then inhaled by the user. 

What does a user experience?

  The user experiences a sense of exhilaration or an intense rush.  There is superabundant energy and hyperactivity.  Also extended wakefulness and loss of appetite.  Pupils will dilate, heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and breathing increases. 

What are the effects on the body? 

  Short term effects are increased alertness, a sense of well-being, paranoia, an intense high, hallucinations, aggressive behavior, increased heart rate, convulsions, an extreme rise in body temperature, uncontrollable movements (twitching, jerking, etc), violent behavior, insomnia, impaired speech, dry and itchy skin, loss of appetite, acne and sores, and numbness.

  Long term effects are: fatal kidney and lung disorders, possible brain damage, depression, hallucinations, a disorganized lifestyle, permanent psychological problems, violent and aggressive behavior, weight loss, insomnia, behavior resembling paranoid schizophrenia, decreased social life, malnutrition, poor coping abilities, disturbance of personality development, lowered resistance to illnesses, liver damage, stroke, and even death.

  If methamphetamines are used during pregnancy, babies tend to be: asocial, incapable of bonding, have tremors, have birth defects, and cry for 24 hours without stopping. 

How to recognize a user?

  Some symptoms of a methamphetamine user are: sleeplessness and severe depression, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, extreme irritability and anxiety, seizures, teeth grinding, bad teeth, sweating, and body odor, skin ulceration and infections as a result of picking at the skin because of imaginary bugs, auditory and visual hallucinations, violent and erratic behavior, nervousness, loss of pleasure, dryness of mucous membranes, and burnt or blistered lips and/or finger tips from the hot ice pipes, users also tend to be paranoid or suspicious about everything.

Abuse in Hawaii

• Abuse of methamphetamine in Hawaii is rising. 
• In 1997, the Honolulu Police Department encountered 762 cases of ice use and made 833 arrests.  The price of crystal meth ranges from $1,500 to $2,100 an ounce. 
• The State Department of Health/Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division reported that statewide methamphetamine treatment admissions increased from 508 in 1993 to 1,378 in 1997. 
• According to a 1996 University of Hawaii study, more Hawaii twelfth graders report having tried methamphetamine during their lifetimes compared to other twelfth graders in the nation.
• And in 1997, Honolulu Medical Examiner data showed 36 methamphetamine related deaths.

Legal Issues

·        According to the Honolulu Police Department, ice is classified as a dangerous drug.

·        Possession or distribution of less than 1/8 ounce of ice is a class C Felony and the maximum sentence is five years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.

·        Possession of 1/8 of an ounce or more of ice is a second degree offense and falls under a class B Felony.  The maximum sentence for this is 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $25,000.

·        Possession of an ounce or more of ice, or the distribution of 1/8 of an ounce or more is a class A felony, with a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $50,000.

·        Possession or distribution of a dangerous drug in any amount to a minor is a first-degree offense and falls under a class A Felony.