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Pulse Check: Trends in Drug Abuse
April 2002

Methamphetamine+

Methamphetamine continues to be considered the most widely abused drug by the law enforcement source in Billings, the epidemiologic source in Honolulu, and the non-methadone treatment source in Denver. Since the last reporting period, one additional source (this time in the South) reports it as the most widely abused drug: the Memphis law enforcement source. Although it is considered the most widely abused drug in only 4 cities, 14 sources in 8 Pulse Check cities (Billings, Denver, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Memphis, St. Louis, Seattle, and Sioux Falls), mostly western, consider it the drug contributing to the most serious consequences. Four of those sources from four cities (Los Angeles, Memphis, St. Louis, and Seattle) have been added since the last Pulse Check. Furthermore, methamphetamine is reportedly emerging or continuing to trend upward in Columbia (SC), New Orleans, Seattle, and Sioux Falls.

Exhibit 1.


How available is methamphetamine across the 20 Pulse Check cities (fall 2001)?*

Exhibit 1
Exhibit 1

METHAMPHETAMINE: THE DRUG

How available is methamphetamine, in its various forms, across the country?
(Exhibits 1 and 2) Similar to reports in the last Pulse Check, more than half (22 of 39) of law enforcement and epidemiologic/ ethnographic respondents report methamphetamine as widely or somewhat available. Availability varies widely by region. In the West, it continues to be widely available according to all but one source (the epidemiologic source in Billings); in the Midwest, it ranges from not very available (in Chicago) to widely available (in Sioux Falls); in the South, it ranges from not very available to widely available; and in the Northeast, it is not very available, according to nearly all respondents. Since the last reporting period, methamphetamine availability increased according to 13 law enforcement and epidemiologic/ ethnographic respondents in 11 Pulse Check cities: Boston, Chicago (where it increased in the North Side gay community), Columbia (SC), Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Portland (ME), Sioux Falls, and Seattle. Availability declined, according to only two respondents (the epidemiologists in El Paso and Honolulu). Unlike reports in the last Pulse Check, availability trends were not based upon regional patterns: increases occurred in all regions in fairly equal proportions.


Exhibit 2.


How has methamphetamine availability changed (fall 2001 vs spring 2001)?*

Exhibit 2

Locally produced and Mexican methamphetamine are about equally available, according to most respondents. “Ice,” nearly 100 percent pure methamphetamine, continues to be unavailable in most cities, except in Honolulu (where it is considered widely available by both the law enforcement and epidemiologic sources), Los Angeles and Memphis (where it is considered somewhat available by the law enforcement sources), and Washington, DC (where it considered somewhat available by the ethnographic source). Similar to reports in the last Pulse Check, most available methamphetamine is reportedly produced in “box labs,” small, mobile, clandestine labs. Additionally, methamphetamine labs run by large operations in Mexico and California produce some of the methamphetamine available in Los Angeles, Memphis, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Seattle.

Since the last reporting period, the number of small, local methamphetamine labs seized increased in eight Pulse Check cities:

  • Billings, MTL,E
  • Boston, MAL
  • Denver, COL
  • Detroit, MIL
  • Los Angeles, CAL
  • Portland, MEL
  • Seattle, WAE
  • Sioux Falls, SDL,E,N

Methamphetamine production methods have changed in two Pulse Check cities:

  • Memphis, TNL: Manufacturers are producing more amphetamines than methamphetamine. The new technique, referred to as “crush and rush,” does not filter the starch out of the ephedrine or pseudoephedrine tablets. This method eliminates steps and is quick, but the methamphetamine it produces is less pure.

  • St. Louis, MOE: The red phosphorus method has declined because people began notifying the police when customers bought more than one box of red matchsticks.

What are street-level methaphetamine prices and purity levels across the country?
(Exhibit 3) According to nearly all law enforcement and epidemiologic/ ethnographic respondents, methamphetamine price levels, ranging from $20–$60 per gram in Seattle to $330 per gram in Chicago, remained stable since the last reporting period. Exceptions include Honolulu, where according to the epidemiologic source, prices declined at the 1/4 gram and gram levels; and Sioux Falls, where prices increased for larger amounts of the drug because it has been more difficult to transport due to increased border security since September 11.

Purity was reported in only five cities and was mostly stable since the last reporting period, ranging from 10–70 percent in Denver to 75–95 percent in Seattle. Adulterants reported include sugar substitutes in St. Louis and a newly reported adulterant in Billings: a white powder preservative used for canning fruit that is making some non-methadone treatment clients sick. Moreover, the Seattle law enforcement source states that Mexican methamphetamine has decreased in purity since the last reporting period because it is being diluted with methylsulfonomethane.

Exhibit 3.


How much does methamphetamine cost in 14 Pulse Check cities?

City Gram price Purity (%)
Northeast Boston, MA $100 NR
Philadelphia, PA $100 <25
SouthColumbia, SC $175 NR
Memphis, TN $90–$125 NR
New Orleans, LA $100 NR
Washington, DC $100–$140 NR
Midwest Chicago, IL $330 NR
St. Louis, MO $100 NR
Sioux Falls, SD $80–$100 NR
West Billings, MT $100 33
Denver, CO $90–$100 10–70
Honolulu, HI $100–$300 NR
Los Angeles, CA $80–$100 15–35
Seattle, WA $20–$60 95 (Nazi)
75 (Red phosphorus)

Sources: Law enforcement and epidemiologic/ethnographic respondents
NR= not reported

How is methamphetamine referred to and packaged across the country?
(Exhibit 4) Across the country, methamphetamine continues to be referred to as “meth,” “speed,” “crank,” or “crystal.” Other slang terms continue to vary by region and are often based on the color or consistency of the available methamphetamine. For example, the crystal form of methamphetamine is called “blade” in Memphis because it can cut the nose when snorted, and another type of methamphetamine in that city is called “cinnamon” because it is pink. “Christmas tree” or “holiday meth” in the South continues to refer to green methamphetamine produced using Drano® crystals; “crystal glass” in Washington, DC, refers to crystal shards of methamphetamine; and “hydro” in Washington, DC, refers to high-quality methamphetamine. Since the last reporting period, no new slang terms have been reported in Pulse Check cities. Similarly, no new packaging has been reported since the last Pulse Check.

Exhibit 4.


How is methamphetamine referred to in different regions of the country?


Exhibit 4

METHAMPHETAMINE: THE SELLERS

Who sells methamphetamine?
According to law enforcement and epidemiologic/ethnographic respondents, nearly all street-level methamphetamine seller characteristics remained stable since the last reporting period. Most respondents in non- Western areas agree that street-level methamphetamine sellers are predominantly independent. Most respondents in Western areas agree that sellers of locally produced methamphetamine are independent, but sellers of Mexican produced methamphetamine are organized. The Denver law enforcement source states that, in general, methamphetamine sellers have become more organized since the last reporting period. In several Pulse Check cities (Billings, Detroit, and El Paso), local methamphetamine sellers are also the manufacturers.

The age of street-level methamphetamine sellers continues to vary by region: in the Northeast, they tend to be adults (>30 years); in the Midwest, they tend to be either adults or young adults (18–30 years); and in the South and West, they tend to be young adults. Only the law enforcement source in New Orleans mentioned adolescents (13–17 years) as the predominant age group of methamphetamine sellers. As reported in the last Pulse Check, most law enforcement and epidemiologic/ethnographic respondents agree that methamphetamine sellers are very likely to use the drug, and sources in two cities (Denver and St. Louis) explain that independent sellers are more likely to use the drug than their organized counterparts.

In what other crimes are streetlevel methamphetamine sellers involved?
Methamphetamine sellers continue to be somewhat or very likely to be involved in other crimes, most commonly domestic violence, nonviolent crimes, and violent crimes. As reported in the last Pulse Check (and illustrated in exhibit 6 of the highlights section), methamphetamine sellers seem particularly involved in domestic violence, accounting for 38 percent of the domestic violence among drug sellers, compared with only 24 percent for powder cocaine and 19 percent for crack, according to law enforcement and epidemiologic/ ethnographic respondents. For example, the Honolulu epidemiologist states that methamphetamine is involved in half of the domestic violence and sexual assault cases. Other crimes related to methamphetamine sales have remained relatively static since the last reporting period, except in Sioux Falls, where the epidemiologic source reports that domestic violence and child abuse issues have increased, and in Memphis, where the epidemiologist states that reports of violent acts and sellers involved in gang-related activity have declined.

What other drugs do methamphetamine sellers sell?
Methamphetamine sellers often sell other drugs: only in four Pulse Check cities (Boston, Columbia [SC], Philadelphia, and St. Louis) do they reportedly sell only methamphetamine. Other drugs sold in other Pulse Check cities include marijuana (in Billings, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Portland [ME], Seattle, and Sioux Falls); crack (in Billings, Denver, Honolulu, and Sioux Falls); powder cocaine (in Denver, El Paso, New Orleans, and Washington, DC); heroin (in Denver, Honolulu, and Portland); and club drugs, such as ecstasy, GHB, and ketamine (in El Paso, Portland, and Washington, DC). The Memphis epidemiologic source states that methamphetamine dealers also sell prescription pills, a new development during the current reporting period; elsewhere, other drugs sold by methamphetamine dealers have not reportedly changed.

How and where is street-level methamphetamine sold?
According to law enforcement and epidemiologic/ethnographic respondents in many Pulse Check cities, dealers sell methamphetamine more clandestinely than they do other drugs, such as heroin, crack, and powder cocaine. Often, as reported in 10 Pulse Check cities (Billings, Boston, Columbia [SC], Honolulu, Memphis, New Orleans, St. Louis, Seattle, Sioux Falls, and Washington, DC), mutual acquaintances introduce methamphetamine buyers to sellers, and they set up meetings for the sale. In certain neighborhoods in Philadelphia, the drug is sold in open-air markets located in specific neighborhoods, as are crack, powder cocaine, and marijuana. In Portland (ME), methamphetamine sales are similar to open-air market sales, except that they take place only at raves. In Detroit, sellers deliver the drug directly to the buyer.

Methamphetamine use has increased in a number of Pulse Check cities:

According to treatment respondents, since the last reporting period, novice users (those using methamphetamine for less than 1 year before entering treatment) increased in seven cities, none of which were in the Northeast:

  • Billings, MTN
  • Columbia, SCN
  • Denver, CON
  • New Orleans, LAM
  • Sioux Falls, SDN,M
  • St. Louis, MON
  • Seattle, WAM

Similarly, the numbers of methamphetamine users have increased in six Pulse Check cities:

  • Denver, COE
  • Memphis, TNE
  • Miami, FLE
  • New Orleans, LAM
  • Seattle, WAE
  • Washington, DCE

By contrast, the non-methadone treatment source in Los Angeles states that the numbers may have declined slightly because adolescents are starting to believe that methamphetamine is dangerous.

The geographic location of methamphetamine sales continues to vary widely by region, according to law enforcement and epidemiologic/ ethnographic respondents, with sales occurring in all areas of cities (central, suburban, and rural) in the Northeast and West, suburbs in most southern cities, and rural areas in the Midwest. Only in Memphis has the geographic location of methamphetamine sales reportedly changed since the last reporting period: sales in that city are increasingly broadening to include not only the central city, but also suburban and rural areas. Similar to reports in the last Pulse Check, the most frequently mentioned specific settings for methamphetamine sales across Pulse Check cities are private residences, followed by private parties and nightclubs or bars. Respondents also frequently mention streets, public housing developments, cars, hotels/ motels, college campuses, and raves. In Honolulu, dealers have been trying to sell methamphetamine in and around schools, but preadolescents are not interested, according to the epidemiologic source. The settings of methamphetamine sales have remained stable since the last reporting period, with exceptions in two cities: in Sioux Falls, the sale (and use) of methamphetamine in hotels and motels has increased, and in Washington, DC, the number of settings where the drug is sold (and used) has increased.

METHAMPHETAMINE: THE USERS

Who uses methamphetamine?
Methamphetamine users tend to be males, according to most epidemiologic/ ethnographic and treatment sources. In the Northeast, they tend to be adults (>30 years), but elsewhere they tend to be young adults (18–30 years). The youngest age group (13–17 years) was mentioned as the predominant user group by several sources: the non-methadone treatment sources in Columbia (SC), Los Angeles, and Sioux Falls and the epidemiologic and methadone treatment sources in Billings. According to nearly all respondents, Whites are the predominant methamphetamine users, and they are often overrepresented compared with the general population. The predominant socioeconomic status of methamphetamine users ranges from low to middle and varies by city. Predominant user residence varies by region, with central cities predominating in the Northeast, central city and suburban areas predominating in the South, all areas mentioned equally in the Midwest, and mostly central cities and suburbs in the West.

Methamphetamine user characteristics changed in many Pulse Check cities across the Nation:

According to epidemiologic/ethnographic and treatment sources ...

  • Females are increasingly using methamphetamine in Memphis and Honolulu.

  • Shifts in age are reported in two regions: the South, where adults (>30 years) have increased, and the West, where adolescents (13–17 years) have increased:

    • Memphis, TNE: Younger adults predominate, but adults are increasing.

    • Washington, DCE: The number of adult users has increased: that group and young adults (18–30 years) are the predominant users.

    • Honolulu, HIE: Young adults predominate, but novice adolescent users have increased.

    • Los Angeles, CAE: Young adults predominate, but adolescent users have increased.

  • Hispanics are emerging as methamphetamine users in Los Angeles and New York.

  • Emerging methamphetamine users are from the central cities and rural areas in Memphis and St. Louis. In Los Angeles, where most users reside in rural areas, suburbs are emerging as user residences.

Where is methamphetamine used?
Similar to the last Pulse Check, the most frequently mentioned user settings, according to epidemiologic/ ethnographic respondents, are private parties and private residences. Other common settings include cars, nightclubs and bars, college campuses, raves, and hotels or motels. The largest number of user settings is reported in the West; the fewest user settings are reported in the Northeast. Since the last reporting period, user settings have remained relatively stable, except in Memphis and Washington, DC, where methamphetamine user settings have expanded, as reported above in the methamphetamine sellers section.

How and with what other drugs do users take methamphetamine?
Route of administration for methamphetamine varies widely, often with several routes of administration predominating per city, according to epidemiologic/ ethnographic respondents. Smoking is more common in the West than in non-western areas, and snorting is more common in non-western areas than in the West. Oral ingestion and injection are common in all regions; in all regions, novice users often shift from snorting or smoking to injecting. Since the last reporting period, according to epidemiologic/ ethnographic and treatment sources, the route of administration for methamphetamine use has changed in several Pulse Check cities: smoking and oral use have increased in Billings and Memphis; injection has increased in Denver and Washington, DC; and snorting has increased in Sioux Falls.

As reported in the last Pulse Check by epidemiologic/ethnographic respondents, methamphetamine users also take a variety of other drugs. The most common drugs used in combination with methamphetamine continue to be marijuana, ecstasy (as reported in Memphis, where the combination is new this reporting period; Miami, where the combination is referred to as “super x” and “hugs and kisses”; and Washington, DC, where it is also used sequentially with a variety of other club drugs), and benzodiazepines (as in Memphis, where the combination is new this reporting period; Portland [ME]; and Seattle, where the combination has increased since the last reporting period).

+ The following symbols appear throughout this chapter to indicate type of respondent: LLaw enforcement respondent, EEpidemiologic/ethnographic respondent, NNon-methadone treatment respondent, and MMethadone treatment respondent.









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Last Updated: June 3, 2002