Pubdate: Thu, 09 Nov 2006
Source: Similkameen Spotlight (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 Similkameen Spotlight
Contact:  http://www.similkameenspotlight.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3484

WHO DEVELOPED METH?

A Short History of Meth

A pharmaceutical company developed Meth but there is currently no 
accepted medical use for it. However, Meth's medical history is only 
the background to today's story. These days, non-medical use is the 
real issue. Some people refer to this type of use as "illicit" or 
"illegal" but Meth's consequences reach far beyond the law, including 
a whole range of health, social and environmental issues.

Meth has been used for non-medical purposes for a very long time, 
almost since it was first developed. Until the 1970's, Meth was 
obtained primarily from prescriptions, but when that source became 
less available, illegal clandestine (secret) laboratories started 
making Meth. The development of a smokeable form of Meth created a 
new interest in the 1990's.

Meth use has increased over the last five years and it's now more 
popular than it ever was. So at least some of the media reports are 
right - Meth's potential to create harm is greater than ever.

How common is Meth use?

General population surveys on alcohol and other drug use are often 
done by telephone interviews. You may have even participated in 
surveys done through questionnaires at your school. These studies 
show a low rate of Meth use in the general population.

For example, a major recent survey, the Canadian Addictions Survey 
2004 (CAS), asked people about their use of "speed", an informal term 
that covers all amphetamines, including Meth. The CAS showed that 
0.8% of Canadians reported using speed at least once in the previous 12 months.

That doesn't seem like a big percentage so why the big deal?

Firstly, 0.8% of Canadians 15 year and older equals about two hundred 
thousand people so, while that number is much smaller than some other 
substances, it's still significant. Also, standard surveys and 
interviews in the general population likely miss hard-to-reach people 
such as street youth. Information from other sources suggests that 
Meth use is much higher among this group.

Information, such as hospital admissions, shows that the number of 
people seeking treatment for Meth problems is growing. Police have 
also uncovered more clandestine laboratories producing Meth. They 
have also seized greater quantities of Meth. All these factors point 
to increasing Meth use, particularly in British Columbia, Alberta, 
Ontario and Quebec.
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MAP posted-by: Elaine