Description
Methamphetamine is a very strong synthetic stimulant, which is similar in chemical composition to other amphetamines but has considerably stronger effects and slightly different appearance. It is used recreationally for its intense euphoric and energising effects and commonly as part of chemsex. Tolerance can build quickly with regular use and psychological and physical dependence is common with sustained heavy use.
Methamphetamine is available in a powder and crystalline form. The pure crystal form, known as ‘crystal meth’ or ‘ice,’ refers to the refined salt formulation most commonly associated with smoking. It is also available in tablet (commonly red and very popular around S.E. Asia and the Pacific Rim, known as Ya-Ba), or white or off-white powder form.
The production of methamphetamine is a relatively simple process, which makes it easy to produce in makeshift laboratories.
Unlike most other salts and similar to crack cocaine, a base formulation , methamphetamine can be smoked. It can also be taken orally, snorted or injected. When smoked, the effects are almost instantaneous (marginally slower when snorted) and last about 6-8 hours. Oral use leads to a slower ‘come up’ of about 20-30 minutes and has a longer lasting effect up to 12 hours. When smoked or injected it tends to be much harder on the body and considerably more addictive because it is absorbed into the bloodstream much more rapidly. When snorted, it is reported to be very painful with a strong burning feeling felt in the nose afterwards.
As the quality of methamphetamine in powder form varies, the size of an effective dose is difficult to predict. Users should be very careful about the quantity they use, starting small if they do not know the purity.
Desirable Effects
- Intense euphoria and rush (particularly when smoked or injected)
- Increased energy, alertness and confidence
- talkativeness
- heightened libido and disinhibition
Undesirable Effects
- Anxiety, agitation and paranoia
- Insomnia, sometimes for multiple days during a binge.
- Loss of appetite and significant weight loss with prolonged use.
- Increased heart rate and blood pressure; risk of cardiac events
- ‘Meth mouth’- severe dental decay associated with regular use
- Big comedowns with depression, exhaustion and irritability
- Meth use is associated with drug induced psychosis with hallucinations and delusions with heavy or prolonged use
- Increased risk taking
What does it look like?
Usually comes in the form of crystalline whitish powder or crystals resembling glass shards that are usually clear white or slightly off white, although colorant may be added and pills also appear (commonly with yaba).
Method of Use
Smoked: heated on foil or using a glass pipe
Injected: when dissolved in water, it can be injected
Swallowed: can be swallowed (ingested) in pill form
Snorted: in its white crystalline form, it can be snorted (insufflated)
Rectally: booty bumping is sometimes practiced in chemsex contexts
Smoking and injecting produce the intense rush characteristic of the drug.
Pharmacology
Methamphetamine works mainly by causing a large release of dopamine and noradrenaline in the brain, and to a lesser extent serotonin, while also blocking their reuptake (similar to MDMA). This combination along with its lipophilicity (that allows it to cross the blood brain barrier more easily) is what makes it considerably more potent than amphetamine or cocaine, both in terms of subjective effects and neurotoxic potential.
Taken orally, methamphetamine reaches peak plasma concentration in ≈ 2.5–3.5 hours, with an average elimination half-life of roughly 10 hours (smoked or injected use produces a faster onset but a similar overall half-life). This long half-life is part of why methamphetamine's effects and comedown are typically much longer-lasting than other stimulants.
It's broken down in the liver, mainly by the enzyme CYP2D6, into amphetamine (itself active) and several inactive metabolites. Because a meaningful proportion of the population are "poor metabolisers" of CYP2D6, individual response and comedown length can vary considerably between users. Drugs that inhibit CYP2D6 including some SSRIs (e.g. fluoxetine, paroxetine) can raise methamphetamine levels in the blood and increase the risk of toxicity. Combining methamphetamine with MAOI antidepressants is particularly dangerous, as MAOIs can drastically increase and prolong its effects on noradrenaline release, raising the risk of dangerously high blood pressure.
With repeated heavy use, the brain's dopamine system becomes depleted and desensitised, which is thought to underlie both the severity of the comedown and the psychological dependence that can develop as well as the mood and cognitive difficulties reported by people trying to stop after sustained heavy use.
History
Methamphetamine (as distinct from amphetamine) was first synthesised from ephedrine by the Japanese scientist Nagai Nagayoshi in 1893. However, it was not until 1919 that another Japanese scientist, Akira Ogata, managed to synthesise it in the crystalline form in which it is most commonly known today.
During the Second World War, amphetamine and dextroamphetamine (UK and US) and methamphetamine (Germany and Japan) were all used extensively to give greater stamina and tolerance to the psychological traumas of warfare to soldiers. It is reputed that as many as 40 million tablets of Pervitin and Isofan (both containing methamphetamine) were deployed to German troops and airmen during the Blitzkrieg of 1939-41. Methamphetamine was given to US troops serving in the Korean War (1950-3).
During the 1960s, as ever more substances were restricted in the US, production of methamphetamine began to go underground, and was increasingly used recreationally as ‘crystal meth’. This trend quickly spread to the UK and Europe, and the smoking of it gained popularity in the 1980s, although the incidence of injecting has also increased due to the faster acting and more intense effects.
In the UK, methamphetamine use has historically been far less common than in the US, though it has been associated with some LGBTQ+ chemsex scenes. Although methamphetamine was originally scheduled as a Class B substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, due to a recommendation to the Home Secretary by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs in May 2006, methamphetamine was raised to Class A substance in 2007.
Law
Possible offences
- Possession
- Maximum sentence – 7 years imprisonment, a fine, or both
- Possession With Intent To Supply
- Maximum sentence – life imprisonment, a fine, or both
- Supply (including being concerned in supply, conspiracy to supply , aggravated supply and offer to supply)
- Maximum sentence – life imprisonment, a fine, or both
- Production
- Maximum sentence – life imprisonment, a fine, or both
In practice maximum sentences are rarely used, for more detailed and accurate information go to our sentencing page.
