Methamphetamine (sometimes referred to as methylamphetamine or desoxyephedrine) is a psychostimulant drug used primarily for recreational purposes (under the street-name crystal meth), but is sometimes prescribed for Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy under the brand name Desoxyn.^[2]

It causes euphoria and excitement by acting directly on the brain's reward mechanisms, thus making it highly addictive. Methamphetamine rapidly enters the brain and causes a cascading release of norepinephrine and dopamine (and to a lesser extent, serotonin). Users may become obsessed or perform repetitive tasks such as cleaning, hand-washing or assembling and disassembling objects.^[3] Withdrawal is characterized by increased sleeping and eating, and depression-like symptoms, often accompanied by anxiety and drug-craving.^[4]

History

Methamphetamine was first synthesized from ephedrine in Japan in 1893 by chemist Nagayoshi Nagai. ^[5] In 1919, crystallized methamphetamine was synthesized by Akira Ogata via reduction of ephedrine using red phosphorus and iodine. The related compound amphetamine was first synthesized in Germany in 1887 by Lazar Edeleanu.

One of the earliest uses of amphetamine occurred during World War II when the German military dispensed the stimulant under the trade name Pervitin to troops.^[6] The drug was widely distributed across rank and division, from elite forces to tank crews and aircraft personnel. Chocolates dosed with methamphetamine were known as Fliegerschokolade ("flyer's chocolate") when given to pilots, or Panzerschokolade ("tanker's chocolate") when distributed to tank crews. From 1942 until his death in 1945, Adolf Hitler was given daily intravenous injections of methamphetamine by his personal physician, Theodor Morell,^[7] as a treatment for depression and fatigue. It is possible that the Parkinsons-like symptoms which Hitler increasingly developed from 1940 onwards were related to his use of this drug.^[8]

After World War II, a massive supply of amphetamine, formerly stockpiled by the Japanese military, became available in Japan under the street name shabu (also Philopon (pronounced ヒロポン, or Hiropon), its tradename there.^[9]) The Japanese Ministry of Health banned it in 1951, which is thought to have added to the growing yakuza activities related to illicit drug production.^[10] Today, the Japanese underworld is still associated with the drug, although its use is discouraged by strong social taboos.

With the 1950s came a rise in the legal prescription of methamphetamine to the American public. According to the 1951 edition of Pharmacology and Therapeutics (by Arthur Grollman), it was to be prescribed for "narcolepsy, post-encephalitic parkinsonism, alcoholism, ... in certain depressive states... and in the treatment of obesity."

The 1960s saw the start of the significant use of clandestine manufacture to supply methamphetamine. Prior to 1983, U.S. laws prohibiting the possession of precursors and equipment for methamphetamine production were not yet in place. The recreational use of methamphetamine sky-rocketed in the 1980s. The December 2, 1989 edition of The Economist described San Diego, California as the "methamphetamine capital of North America."

In 1986, the U.S. government passed the Federal Controlled Substance Analogue Enforcement Act in an attempt to combat the growing use of designer drugs. In spite of this, its use expanded throughout the rural United States, especially in the Midwest and South. Methamphetamine use continues into the 21st century, and many states are considering harsher legislation.

Since 1989, five federal laws and dozens of state laws have been implemented to combat the production and thus availability of methamphetamine. Methamphetamine is easily “cooked up” in home laboratories using pseudoephedrine and/or ephedrine, the active ingredients in over-the-counter drugs such as Sudafed and Contac. Thus, preventive legal strategies over the past 17 years have steadily strengthened restrictions on the distribution of pseudoephedrine/ephedrine-containing products. The current federal standard, as of January 2006, restricts the amount of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine an individual may purchase in a designated time period, and it requires that such products are stored in such a way as to prevent theft.^[11]

On August 8, 2005, an issue of Newsweek devoted a cover story to methamphetamine and its abuse,^[12] including criticism of the Bush administration's policies regarding meth. Newsweek blamed the administration for not devoting enough resources to education about and prevention of the drug's use. The Bush administration has countered with the position that cannabis is a dangerous 'gateway drug', so prevention of cannabis use should prevent potential abusers from trying and becoming hooked on "hard" drugs such as methamphetamine.

Meanwhile, the online magazine Slate posted an article in reaction to the Newsweek article,^[13] attacking Newsweek for failing to appropriately cite sources and data to back up the claim that this is a "new" problem. The topic remains controversial. The most recent figures released by the Federal government indicate that contrary to public perception, methamphetamine use has actually declined nationally in recent years.^[14]

[edit] Production

Methamphetamine Crystals

Methamphetamine is most structurally similar to methcathinone and amphetamine. In illicit production, it is commonly made by the reduction of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. Most of the necessary chemicals are readily available in household products or over-the-counter medicines. Synthesis is relatively simple, but most methods involve flammable and corrosive chemicals. As a result, clandestine production is often discovered due to fires caused by amateur chemists working with makeshift laboratory equipment.

Most production methods involve hydrogenation of the hydroxyl group on the ephedrine or pseudoephedrine molecule. The most common method of production in the United States involves red phosphorus and iodine which forms hydroiodic acid. This is a fairly dangerous process. The red phosphorus production method can create phosphine gas, which is extremely toxic when inhaled. An increasingly common method utilizes a Birch reduction process, where metallic lithium is substituted for metallic sodium (due to the difficulty in obtaining metallic sodium). The Birch reduction (AKA the "Nazi method") is dangerous since the alkali metal and liquid anhydrous ammonia are both extremely reactive, and because the temperature of liquid ammonia makes it susceptible to explosive boiling when reactants are added.

Industrial scale methamphetamine/MDMA factory in Cikande, Indonesia

A completely different synthesis procedure involves creating methamphetamine by the reductive amination of phenylacetone with methylamine, both of which are currently DEA list I chemicals (as are pseudoephedrine and ephedrine). The reaction requires a catalyst that acts as a reducing agent, such as mercury-aluminum amalgam or platinum dioxide, also known as Adams' catalyst. This was once the preferred method of production by motorcycle gangs in California, but DEA restrictions on the chemicals have made this an uncommon way to produce the drug today.

Other less-common methods use other means of hydrogenation, such as hydrogen gas in the presence of a catalyst.

One of the more obvious signs of a production lab of metamphetamine in operation is the smell of a cat-urine-like odor. Meth labs can also give off noxious fumes, such as: phosphine gas, mercury vapors, lead, methylamine gas, solvent fumes; such as acetone or chloroform, iodine vapors, white phosphorus, anhydrous ammonia, hydrogen chloride/muriatic acid, hydrogen iodide, lithium/sodium metal, ether, or methamphetamine vapors.

When performed by individuals who are not trained chemists, methamphetamine manufacture can lead to extremely dangerous situations. For example, if the red phosphorus reaction is allowed to overheat, phosphine gas can be produced. When produced in large quantities, it usually explodes, due to autoignition from diphosphine formation caused by overheating phosphorus.

Until the early 1990s, methamphetamine for the US market was made mostly in labs run by drug traffickers in Mexico and California. Since then, however, authorities have discovered increasing numbers of small-scale methamphetamine labs all over the United States, mostly located in rural, suburban, or low-income areas. The Indiana state police found 1,260 labs in 2003, compared to just 6 in 1995, although this may only be a result of increased police activity.^[15] Recently, mobile and motel-based methamphetamine labs have caught the attention of both the US news media and law enforcement agencies. The labs can cause explosions and fires, as well as expose the public to hazardous chemicals. In addition to these issues, individuals who manufacture methamphetamine are often harmed by toxic gases. Many police forces have responded by creating a specialized task force educated in responding to persons involved in methamphetamine production. However, the National Drug Threat Assessment 2006, produced by the Department of Justice, found "decreased domestic methamphetamine production in both small and large-scale laboratories..." but also stated that "decreases in domestic methamphetamine production have been offset by increased production in Mexico." They concluded: "methamphetamine availability is not likely to decline in the near term."^[16]

The amount of methamphetamine actually contributed to the US market by small-scale labs is disputed. Large-scale labs maintained by American criminal organizations continue to exist. In the United States, drug policy critics suggest that restriction of over-the-counter medication is more politically than socially motivated, and may in fact shift the balance of supply more in favor of large criminal organizations. This may actually be considered beneficial in terms of decreasing lab accidents and environmental contamination.

[edit] Distribution

A rocket used by smugglers to quickly discard meth.

A wide variety of groups are involved in the distribution of methamphetamine, from the aforementioned prison gangs and motorcycle gangs to street gangs, traditional organized crime operations, and impromptu small networks made up of users. Because of the ease of synthesis from OTC medicines, clandestine manufacture is very common. The government of North Korea has supposedly been linked to the manufacture and distribution of crystal meth, and allegedly plays a role in distribution networks throughout Asia as well as those in Australia and even in North America.^[17] Meth trafficking is not exclusively dominated by cartels along the lines of Colombian cocaine cartels or Pakistani heroin cartels.

[edit] Black market

In the U.S., illicit methamphetamine comes in a variety of forms, with an average price of $40 - $150 per gram of pure substance depending on where you live.^[18] Most commonly it is found as a colorless crystalline solid, sold on the street under the name crystal meth and a variety of other names. It is also sold as a less pure crystalline powder called crank, or in crystalline rock form . Colourful flavored pills containing methamphetamine and caffeine are known as yaba (Thai for "crazy medicine"). At its most impure, it is sold as a crumbly brown or off-white rock commonly referred to as "peanut butter crank".^[19] Methamphetamine found on the street is rarely pure, but adulterated with chemicals that were used to synthesize it. It may be diluted or "cut" with non-psychoactive substances like inositol. It may also be cut with other psychoactive substances, but the former is presumably more common due to its low price relative to other common drugs.

[edit] Medical use

[edit] d-Methamphetamine

Main article: Desoxyn

d-Methamphetamine is used medically under the brand name Desoxyn for the following conditions:

• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
• Extreme obesity
• Narcolepsy
• Decongestant

10mg Desoxyn

Because of its abuse potential, meth is not generally prescribed for ADHD unless other stimulants, such as methylphenidate (Ritalin®), dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine®) or mixed amphetamines (Adderall®) have failed.

[edit] l-Methamphetamine

Main article: Levmetamfetamine

l-Methamphetamine is available over the counter as Vicks inhaler as a nasal decongestant. l-Methamphetamine alone can raise blood pressure and cause the heart to beat rapidly due to its effects mimicking the sympathetic nervous system, but is not thought to be nearly as addictive or centrally active as the d- isomer of methamphetamine. Its common side effects include muscle tremors and stomach cramps.

[edit] Pharmacology

Methamphetamine is a potent central nervous system stimulant which affects neurochemical mechanisms responsible for regulating heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, appetite, attention, mood and responses associated with alertness or alarm conditions. Methamphetamine causes the norepinephrine and dopamine transporters to reverse their direction of flow. This inversion leads to a release of these transmitters from the vesicles to the cytoplasm and from the cytoplasm to the synapse, causing increased stimulation of post-synaptic receptors. Methamphetamine also indirectly prevents the reuptake of these neurotransmitters, causing them to remain in the synaptic cleft for a prolonged period. Serotonin levels are only weakly affected (ratio NE: DA = 2:1, NE:5HT = 60:1).^[20] It is neurotoxic in overdose.^[21][22]

The acute effects of the drug closely resemble the physiological and psychological effects of an epinephrine-provoked fight-or-flight response, including increased heart rate and blood pressure, vasoconstriction (constriction of the arterial walls), bronchodilation, and hyperglycemia (increased blood sugar). Users experience an increase in focus, increased mental alertness, and the elimination of fatigue, as well as a decrease in appetite.

[edit] Tolerance

As with other amphetamines, tolerance to methamphetamine is not completely understood, but known to be sufficiently complex that it cannot be explained by any single mechanism. The extent of tolerance and the rate at which it develops varies widely between individuals, and even within one individual it is highly dependant on dosage, duration of use and frequency of administration. Many cases of narcolepsy are treated with methamphetamine for years without escalating doses or any apparent loss of effect.

Short term tolerance can be caused by depleted levels of neurotransmitters within the vesicles available for release into the synaptic cleft following subsequent reuse (tachyphylaxis). Short term tolerance typically lasts 2-3 days, until neurotransmitter levels are fully replenished. Prolonged overstimulation of dopamine receptors caused by methamphetamine may eventually cause the receptors to downregulate in order to compensate for increased levels of dopamine within the synaptic cleft.^[23] To compensate, larger quantities of the drug are needed in order to achieve the same level of effects.

[edit] Side effects

Suspected case of meth mouth

[edit] Immediate and Chronic Effects

Common immediate side effects:^[24]

• Euphoria
• Increased energy and attentiveness
• Diarrhea, nausea
• Loss of appetite, insomnia, tremor, jaw-clenching (Bruxism)
• Agitation, compulsive fascination with repetitive tasks (Punding)
• Talkativeness, irritability, panic attacks
• Increased libido
• Dilated pupils

Side effects associated with chronic use:

• Drug craving
• Weight loss
• Withdrawal-related depression and anhedonia
• Erectile dysfunction ("Crystal cock")
• Rapid tooth decay ("meth mouth")
• Amphetamine psychosis
• Acne and skin sores

Side effects associated with overdose:

• Brain damage (Neurotoxicity)
• Formication (sensation of flesh crawling with bugs, with possible associated compulsive picking and infecting sores)
• Paranoia, delusions, hallucinations
• Kidney damage (from Hyperkalemia)

Overdose fatalities are usually due to stroke or heart failure, but can also be caused by hyperthermia or kidney failure.

[edit] Meth Mouth

Main article: Meth mouth

Methamphetamine addicts may lose their teeth abnormally quickly, a condition known as "meth mouth". This effect is not caused by "corrosive" effects that meth itself has on teeth as per commonly repeated myth. According to the American Dental Association, meth mouth "is probably caused by a combination of drug-induced psychological and physiological changes resulting in xerostomia (dry mouth), extended periods of poor oral hygiene, frequent consumption of high calorie, carbonated beverages and tooth grinding and clenching."^[25] Similar, though far less severe symptoms have been reported in clinical use of other amphetamines, where effects are not exacerbated by a lack of oral hygiene for extended periods.^[26] Like other substances which stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, methamphetamine causes decreased production of acid-fighting saliva and increased thirst, resulting in increased risk for tooth decay, especially when thirst is quenched by high-sugar drinks.^[27]

[edit] Sexual Behavior

Main article: Crystal methamphetamine and sex

Users may exhibit sexually compulsive behavior and may engage in sexual acts with one or more individuals. This sexual behavior is believed to have created a link between meth use and sexually transmitted disease (STD) transmission, especially HIV and syphilis.

Among the effects reported by crystal users (known as "tweakers") is an increase in the need and urgency for sex, the ability to have sex for extended periods (hours or even days), and an inability to ejaculate or reach orgasm or physical release.

In addition to increasing the need for sex and enabling the user to engage in marathon sex sessions, crystal lowers inhibitions and causes users to behave recklessly or to become forgetful. According to a recent San Diego study, crystal users often engage in unsafe sexual activities, and forget or choose not to use condoms. The study found that crystal users were a sixth as likely to use condoms^[28].

The urgency for sex combined with the inability to achieve release can result in tearing, chafing and trauma (such as rawness and friction sores) to the sex organs and the rectum and mouth, dramatically increasing the risk of transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Crystal also causes erectile dysfunction (this is known as "crystal dick", though the term has more rarely been used to describe the extreme urge for sex experienced by many crystal users) which often leads people to decide to engage in receptive anal sex or fisting.

[edit] Addiction

Methamphetamine is highly addictive, particularly when injected or smoked.^[29] While not life-threatening, withdrawal is often intense and, as with all addictions, relapse is common. To combat relapse, many recovering addicts attend 12 Step meetings, such as Crystal Meth Anonymous.

In an article about his son's addiction to methamphetamine, a California writer who has also experimented with the drug put it this way:

This drug has a unique, horrific quality. In an interview, Stephan Jenkins, the singer in the band Third Eye Blind, said that methamphetamine makes you feel 'bright and shiny.' It also makes you paranoid, incoherent and both destructive and pathetically and relentlessly self-destructive. Then you will do unconscionable things in order to feel bright and shiny again.^[30]

Former users have noted that they feel stupid or dull when they quit using methamphetamine. This is because the brain is adapting a need for methamphetamine to think faster, or at what seems to be a higher level. Individuals with ADHD may be at higher risk for addiction to methamphetamine, because the drug increases the user's ability to focus and reduces impulsivity. Because of its abuse potential, meth is not generally prescribed for ADHD unless other stimulants, such as methylphenidate (Ritalin®), dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine®) or mixed amphetamines (Adderall®) have failed.

With long-term use, abstinence often leads to slow thinking and depression, which in turn requires that the addict use more meth to 'fix' it. A chronic pattern of such behavior is known colloquially as "The Vampire Life."

Serious drug addiction correlates with poor hygiene and general self-care, and even minor health problems can lead to serious complications when left untreated. Striking health problems popularly associated with methamphetamine addiction, such as severe tooth decay or massive skin infections, are caused by unsterilized needles and a lack of hygiene. Even long-term use does not generally result in outward symptoms, but may lead to hypertension, damage to heart valves, and increased risk of strokes.

[edit] Routes of administration

The usual route for medical use is oral administration. In recreational use it can be swallowed, snorted, smoked, dissolved in water and injected (or even without water, in what is called a dry shot), inserted anally (with or without dissolution in water; also known as a booty bump), or into the urethra.^[31] As with all addictive drugs, the potential for addiction is greater when it is delivered by methods that cause the concentration in the blood to rise quickly, principally because the effects desired by the user are felt more quickly and with a higher intensity than through a moderated delivery mechanism. In fact, studies have shown that the subjective pleasure of drug use (the reinforcing component of addiction) is proportional to the rate that the blood level of the drug increases. In general, smoking is the fastest mechanism (i.e., it causes the blood concentration to rise the most quickly in the shortest period of time as it allows the substance to travel to the brain through a more direct route than intravenous injection), followed by injecting, anal insertion, insufflation and swallowing.

"Smoking" methamphetamine actually refers to vaporizing it to produce fumes, rather than burning and inhaling the resulting smoke, as with tobacco. It is commonly smoked in glass pipes, or in aluminum foil heated by a flame underneath. This method is also known as "chasing the white dragon" (as derived from the method of smoking heroin known as "chasing the dragon"). There is little evidence that methamphetamine inhalation results in greater toxicity than any other route of administration. Lung damage has been reported with long-term use, but manifests in forms independent of route (pulmonary hypertension and associated complications), or limited to injection users (pulmonary emboli).

Injection is a popular method for use, but potentially carries quite serious risks. The hydrochloride salt of methamphetamine is soluble in water; injection users may use any dose from 125 mg to over a gram in one I.V. dose using a small needle. This dosage range may be fatal to non-addicts; addicts rapidly develop tolerance to the drug. Injection users often experience skin rashes (sometimes called "speed bumps") and infections at the site of injection. As with any injected drug, if a group of users shares a common needle or any type of injecting equipment without sterilization procedures, blood-borne diseases such as HIV or hepatitis can be transmitted as well.

Very little research has focused on anal insertion as a method, and anecdotal evidence of its effects is infrequently discussed, possibly due to social taboos in many cultures regarding the anus. This is often known within communities that use meth for sexual stimulation as a "booty bump", "keistering", or "plugging" and is anecdotally reported to increase sexual pleasure while the effects of the drug last.^[32] The rectum is where the majority of the drug would likely be taken up, through the mucous membranes lining its walls. (See Crystal and sex for further information on other risk factors.)

[edit] Legality

[edit] Australia

The medical use of methamphetamine is not recognised in Australia.

[edit] Canada

Methamphetamine is not approved for medical use in Canada. As of 2005, it falls under Schedule I of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. The maximum penalty for the production and distribution is imprisonment for life.

[edit] Hong Kong

Methamphetamine is regulated under Schedule 1 of Hong Kong's Chapter 134 Dangerous Drugs Ordinance. It can only be used legally by health professionals and for university research purporses. The substance can be be given by pharmacists under a prescription. Anyone who supply the substance without presciption can be fined $10000(HKD). The penalty for trafficking or manufacturing the substance is a $5,000,000 (HKD) fine and life imprisonment. Possession of the substance for consumption without license from the Department of Health is illegal with a $1,000,000 (HKD) fine and/or 7 years of jail time.

[edit] The Netherlands

Methamphetamine is not approved for medical use in The Netherlands. It falls under Schedule I of the Opium Act. Although production and distribution of this drug are prohibited, few people who were caught with a small amount for personal use have been prosecuted.

[edit] New Zealand

Methamphetamine is a Class A controlled drug under the New Zealand Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. The maximum penalty for production and distribution is imprisonment for life. While in theory a doctor could prescribe it for an appropriate indication, this would require case-by-case approval by the director-general of public health. In New Zealand, Methamphetamine is most commonly referred to by the street name P ^[33].

[edit] South Africa

In South Africa, methamphetamine is classified as a Schedule 5 drug, and is listed as Undesirable Dependence-Producing Substances in Part III of Schedule 2 of the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act, 1992 (Act No 140 of 1992).^[34] Commonly called Tik, it is mostly abused by youths under the age of 20 in the Cape Flats areas.

[edit] United Kingdom

As of 2006, methamphetamine is classified as a Class A drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 following a recommendation made by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs in June 2006.^[35] It had previously been classified as a Class B drug, except when prepared for injection.

[edit] United States

Methamphetamine is classified as a Schedule II substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration under the Convention on Psychotropic Substances.^[36] It is available by prescription under the trade name Desoxyn, manufactured by Ovation Pharma. While there is technically no difference between the laws regarding methamphetamine and other controlled stimulants, most medical professionals are averse to prescribing it due to its notoriety.

Illicit methamphetamine has become a major focus of the 'war on drugs' in the United States in recent years. In addition to federal laws, somes states have placed additional restrictions on the sale of precursor chemicals commonly used to synthesize methamphetamine, particularly pseudoephedrine, a common over-the-counter decongestant. In 2005, the DEA seized 2,148.6kg of methamphetamine.^[37]

In 2005, the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 was passed as part of the USA PATRIOT Act, putting restrictions on the sale of methamphetamine precursors.

On November 7, 2006, the US Department of Justice declared that November 30, 2006 be Methamphetamine Awareness Day                                                                                                                              

You're already aware of the caricature of the meth cook racing around town to all the Walgreen's or Rite Aids or Eckerd's, frantically buying up all the cold medicine he can get his hands on. Why, you might ask? Here's why: the main active ingredients are ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. But because the state and Federal governments continue to control access to these substances, they can be very hard to get in quantity. Sure enough, there are cooks who make speed locally but depending on where you are in the country, the meth you see or use might have been produced in countries where access to ephedrine is less stringently controlled, if it's controlled at all.

Increased regulation of pure ephedrine and pseudoephedrine has meant that even more toxic substances are used in order to strip the desired chemicals from other products. Thus you have those alarming "It's made of battery acid and fertilizer" stories. Technically, it's made with a bunch of scary stuff. But that doesn't mean that some of the base ingredients' other chemicals won't remain in the finished product. And that's why there can be variations in the consistency and color of what you've ended up with in your quarter gram baggie.

Cooking speed is a very dangerous process, involving a variety of liquids and solids, almost all of which are toxic all by themselves. The most common way to produce meth is a quick cook process that requires only a few hours. And that's a chemistry class disaster waiting to happen since there's all that liquefying and making gaseous and heating in makeshift pressure cookers and filtering and on and on and on. Trailer park firestorms or explosions in out of the way motel rooms, anyone? The mess that's left over after production is really nasty and there's lots of it. For each pound of product there's about five pounds of residual chemical crap to contend with and whom do you think takes care of that stuff? When the authorities go in to clean up, those guys are wearing Haz-Mat space suits!      Last though not at all least, you've got to wonder about what the speed is cut with, meaning what solid substances have been added to the meth to stretch out what has been produced. Do you really think you're getting pure product? Think again. In California we've heard about a variety of things being used as cut: talcum powder, salt, sugar, antidepressant meds like Prozac, HIV meds like protease inhibitors, Ritalin, adult and infant laxatives and Epsom salts.

Making meth gets easier
Home cooks now can brew their own ammonia

By Katherine Schiffner
Herald Writer

Making methamphetamine used to involve stealing anhydrous ammonia or paying hundreds of dollars to get it on the black market.

Now, all it takes is a trip to the hardware store and some dry ice.

Snohomish County meth cooks have figured out how to make nearly pure ammonia -- a vital ingredient in the production of methamphetamine -- by using household chemicals and dry ice, said Sgt. Mark Richardson, a member of the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force.

Police worry that this method, first seen in Snohomish County last year, makes it even easier to make a batch of the illegal drug. About a third of all meth manufactured in Snohomish County is now made with homemade ammonia, according to the task force.

"The only hard part was getting the anhydrous ammonia. Now that they can make the ammonia, it's easy" to make methamphetamine, Richardson said. "This is the easiest and quickest method out there."

Police believe that meth cooks learned how to make ammonia when stealing it became too difficult. Local food processing plants, cold storage facilities and agricultural sites stepped up security to protect their ammonia tanks from thieves, Richardson said.

Plus, when thieves break open valves and tap into commercial ammonia storage tanks, the tanks can rupture or explode.

"It's getting harder and more dangerous to steal it," Richardson said. "They know if they get a lungful of this stuff, it can be fatal."

Meth cooks can't buy anhydrous ammonia because state-certified ammonia distributors only sell the compressed, liquefied gas to certified commercial customers, and only in quantities of 500 or more gallons at a time. Many distributors also conduct background checks.

The task force suspected for several years that meth cooks here were making their own ammonia, but didn't know for sure until they found a lab with the equipment, Richardson said.

"We saw a few things that didn't fit with a regular methamphetamine production scene," he said. "Anytime we see that, we sit back and analyze it."

The task force asked chemists at the Washington State Patrol crime lab in Marysville to replicate the process so law enforcement could learn how the cooks were doing it.

"It was a lot easier than we anticipated, and it can be done in a much shorter time than we'd expected," said Erik Neilson, manager of the lab in Marysville.

The process takes up to 30 minutes, meaning meth cooks can produce the drug in about an hour, Neilson said.

"That's the scary part," he said. "That makes these guys harder to catch."

The liquid ammonia produced from this method is about 90 percent pure -- good enough to make methamphetamine but not as good as the 99.5 percent pure anhydrous ammonia. To compare, ammonia purchased at a grocery store is mostly water.

After the chemicals are mixed, dry ice, which is 109 degrees below zero, is needed to cool the gas so it becomes a liquid.

Although dry ice is a critical ingredient, several stores in Snohomish County that sell it say they had no idea that some of their customers may have been meth cooks.

"I've never heard of that," said Ron Cook, owner of Everett Carbonic, which has sold dry ice, carbonated gas, helium, nitrogen and fire extinguishers for 26 years.

Anyone can buy dry ice, he said, though he doesn't sell it to the very young. Customers ask for dry ice for many reasons, he said, from birthday punch to shrinking metal parts.

Cook said he hasn't seen a spike in dry ice sales this year, and does not want to sell to anyone who will use it to make meth.

Direct contact with dry ice can cause severe burns, just one of the many hazards of making ammonia.

Earlier this year, a man attempting to make ammonia was mixing chemicals in a steel container when it ruptured and sprayed him with the mix, Richardson said. The man, who was taken to an Everett hospital, suffered serious burns.

Ammonia "is a nasty material to work with," Neilson said. "To me, that's the biggest concern. People are going to hurt themselves."

Police also worry about meth cooks dumping the equipment and chemicals used to make ammonia, risking chemical burns to anyone who finds it.

"The whole community is at risk from this problem," Neilson said.

There's little law enforcement can do to stop meth cooks from making their own ammonia, because all the ingredients can be purchased legally. But police are urging stores to watch for people who frequently buy dry ice in large amounts.

Meth Production is Toxic to Communities

by Lorene Bartos, Extension Educator

This article appears in the June 2005 NEBLINE Newsletter NEBRASKA

Do you know where your children are? Do you know what your neighbors are doing or what is going on in your community? These might seem like easy to answer questions or not a problem. Are you aware there may be a “hidden danger” -- methamphetamine -- in your community?

Meth is an extremely addictive, illegal drug commonly referred to as meth, crank, crystal, speed, chalk, glass, ice or zip.

Most methamphetamine is produced in clandestine or hidden laboratories. Labs can be located in homes, apartments, hotel and motel rooms, garages, vehicles, storage sheds, barns, vacant buildings, outdoors and in ditches. Remote locations are often chosen to conceal the smell of chemicals.

Meth labs and lab waste are hazardous to human health and the environment. Clandestine labs can be located nearly anywhere

Meth Ingredients

Meth can be easily produced or cooked using ordinary -- though toxic -- household chemicals in combination with ephedrine or pseudoephedrine found in common asthma and cold remedies sold over the counter. These ingredients and the needed equipment can be easily purchased from drug stores, supermarkets, hardware stores, feed stores and farm supply outlets.

Most meth ingredients are toxic and volatile:

• drain cleaner/rubbing alcohol
• lithium batteries
• anhydrous ammonia
• red phosphorous
• starter fluid or de-icer
• muriatic or hydrochloric acid
• lye
• iodine

People who work in retail stores should be alert to large purchases of these items.

Lancaster County farmer cooperatives have taken many precautions to secure anhydrous ammonia tanks. Most storage areas have added lighting, fencing and gates are locked in the evening. Locks have been put on values. Propane tanks (often used in meth production) are also secured in locked storage areas.

Dangers of Meth Production

Production of meth in a home “laboratory” poses dangers to the producers and the community. Breathing the toxic fumes can cause irreparable harm to nasal passages, lungs and brain. The ingredients can ignite, corrode or react. Producers of homemade meth are typically users themselves and not skilled in chemistry. Cooks may be producing meth while their mental capacities are impaired by the drug. All these factors make meth labs a catastrophe waiting to happen. There have been several explosions and fires across Nebraska as a result of cooking meth.

Five to seven pounds of toxic waste are produced per pound of meth. These hazardous chemicals may be dumped on the ground or in nearby streams and lakes, buried or simply left behind. Toxic wastes can contaminate drinking water.

Buildings used to make meth can be a health risk to the next unsuspecting tenants. Toxic vapors may have absorbed into the furniture, flooring, air vents and walls. Harsh liquids dumped or spilled can remain for a long time as residue in bathtubs, toilets, sinks or floors.

High Cost of Cleanup

Meth lab clean up is very expensive. The average cost to clean up one lab can exceed $4,000. Last year, the Nebraska State Patrol dismantled more than 300 labs.

Warning Signs of Meth Activity

Signs of a meth lab are:

• Chemicals
• Basic chemistry paraphernalia such as laboratory glassware, rubber tubing, clear glass jugs.
• Heat plates, camp stoves or other heat sources.
• Cookware containing powdery substances.
• Strong odor of urine or unusual chemical odors such as ether, ammonia or acetone.

Signs of meth lab waste:

• Cold/allergy medicine packaging.
• Empty containers from: Heet, antifreeze, ether, starting fluids, freon, lye, drain cleaners, paint thinner or acetone.
• Coffee filters with white pasty, powdery or red substance. * Coolers or thermos bottles. * Propane tanks.

Signs of a drug house:

• Little or no traffic during the day, but lots of traffic at late hours.
• Extra efforts to cover windows or reinforce doors.
• Never putting out trash.
• Unfriendly, paranoid or secretive behavior.
• Renters who pay landlords in cash. Unemployed persons who seem to have plenty of cash.

What To Do

What can you do to help in the fight against meth production? Be informed, be aware and be alert. If you suspect a meth lab:

• Call your local law enforcement or State Patrol.
• Do not attempt to stop the chemical reaction. Do not shut off water supply to the house or the chemical reaction.
• Do not turn any electrical devices/lights on or off.

If you find any potential meth lab litter:

• Move away from the area.
• Call 911 or your nearest law enforcement office.
• Do not touch or smell any potential meth litter items!

If you suspect a drug house:

• Hold a neighborhood meeting to talk about the problem. Do not invite suspects. Do invite law enforcement.
• Many drug houses are rentals. Send the homeowner a letter saying you will not put up with this activity.
• Record and report suspicious behavior. Many drug houses have been shut down through citizen input.