Methamphetamine
METHAMPHETAMINE: THE PERCEPTION
How serious a problem is methamphetamine in Pulse Check communities? During 2000, methamphetamine was perceived as the most serious drug problem by 7 responding sources (10 percent of 70) in 3 cities: Billings and Honolulu in the West; and Sioux Falls in the Midwest. Furthermore, it was considered the second most serious drug problem by 6 responding sources (9 percent of 70) in 5 cities: Billings and Denver in the West; Memphis in the South; and Sioux Falls and St. Louis in the Midwest.
Has the perception of the methamphetamine problem changed between 1999 and 2000? No changes are reported: all sources who considered methamphetamine as either the first or second most serious drug problem in their cities during 2000 also reported that the drug's status had remained stable since the previous year. The drug, however, was seen as an emerging or intensifying problem by five sources in five cities: Denver and Seattle in the West; Sioux Falls in the Midwest; Birmingham in the South; and Philadelphia in the East.
METHAMPHETAMINE: THE DRUG
Availability, Purity, and Price
How available is methamphetamine? (Exhibit 1) More than any other drug on which Pulse Check reports, methamphetamine availability varies by U.S. region: in the West, it is considered widely available by every reporting source (in Billings, Denver, Honolulu, Los Angeles, and Seattle); in the Midwest, it ranges from widely available to somewhat available (in Sioux Falls and St. Louis) to not very available or not available at all (in Chicago); in the South, it ranges from not available (in Miami) to widely available (in Birmingham and Memphis); and in the Northeast, methamphetamine is reported as either not very available or somewhat available (by sources in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Portland).
How has methamphetamine availability changed? (Exhibit 2) Nearly half (48 percent) of Pulse Check sources report increases in methamphetamine availability between 1999 and 2000, and another 48 percent of responding sources report stable availability between those time periods; only 4 percent report declines. By region, the vast majority of western sources (86 percent) report methamphetamine availability increases, while southern and midwestern sources report mostly increasing or stable trends, and northeast sources generally report stable trends (85 percent).
What type of methamphetamine is available? Low- to mid-grade methamphetamine is the most available type of methamphetamine according to 10 law enforcement, epidemiologic, and ethnographic sources in 7 cities: Billings, Denver, Los Angeles, and Seattle in the West; Sioux Falls and St. Louis in the Midwest; El Paso in the South; and Boston in the Northeast. "Ice" (nearly 100 percent pure methamphetamine) is not very available or not available at all, according to the majority (63 percent) of Pulse Check sources. However, it is widely available according to sources in four cities in the West (Billings, Denver, Honolulu, and Los Angeles) and one city in the South (Memphis). Ice is considered "somewhat available" by sources in only three cities: Birmingham, El Paso, and New York.
Most methamphetamine available in the United States is produced in clandestine labs, either in Mexico or locally. The ephedrine/pseudoephedrine reduction method and cold-cooking method ("nazi method" made with anhydrous ammonia and lithium) are the two types of methamphetamine manufacturing most cited by Pulse
Check sources, and many sources report both methods within one area. Two other methods mentioned are the red phosphorous and the phenyl-2- propanone (P2P) methods. Local clandestine lab "busts" (especially in rural areas) seem to be increasing in many Pulse Check cities, including Denver, Memphis, St. Louis, and Seattle.
How pure is methamphetamine, and how much does it cost? (Exhibit 3) Actual methamphetamine purity levels are reported only by law enforcement, epidemiologic, and ethnographic sources in Denver, El Paso, Honolulu, Los Angeles, and Portland. Purity changes between 1999 and 2000 were reported only by treatment sources in Billings, where purity levels decreased, and in Chicago and Columbia, where they increased.
Gram prices for methamphetamine range from $40–$60 in El Paso to $80–$330 in Chicago. In Honolulu, high-purity ice (widely available there) costs $200–$300 per gram. From 1999 to 2000, prices increased only in Chicago and Denver, and decreased only in Columbia and Memphis according to law enforcement, epidemiologic, and treatment sources.
How is methamphetamine referred to? (Exhibit 4) Street names (slang) for methamphetamine across the United States include crank, meth, speed, and crystal. Other names are based on the appearance of the methamphetamine available. For example, "sparkle" is a somewhat shiny methamphetamine available in Denver, "clear" is a clear high-purity methamphetamine in Honolulu, and "peanut butter" describes the yellowish methamphetamine available in Washington, DC.
METHAMPHETAMINE: THE USERS
Who, Where, How, and With What?
How old are methamphetamine users? In most Pulse Check sites, young adults are most likely to use methamphetamine, except in Miami and Los Angeles where treatment sources indicate that adolescents are the most common age group. Older adults also use methamphetamine in many areas. In Denver, use among young adults is slightly up while older adult use appears to be declining slightly. Los Angeles treatment providers are observing an increase in adolescent clients.
Is any racial/ethnic or socioeconomic group more likely to use methamphetamine? According to epidemiologic and ethnographic sources in 13 Pulse Check reporting cities, whites appear to be the predominant users of methamphetamine. Some use, however, is reported among other racial/ethnic groups, especially in cities where they are substantially represented, such as the following: Hispanics in Denver and Los Angeles; Native Americans in Billings and Sioux Falls; and Filipinos in Honolulu. In particular, the Los Angeles epidemiologist reports an increase in methamphetamine use among Hispanics. Treatment providers report similarly, except in El Paso where they serve a Hispanic population reportedly using methamphetamine. In Washington, DC, epidemiologic and ethnographic sources suggest possible new use in the black community. Middle and lower socioeconomic groups are more likely to use methamphetamine, except in New Orleans where moderate to upper socioeconomic groups are reported by epidemiologic and ethnographic sources.
Are there any gender differences in who uses methamphetamine? The majority of methamphetamine users are male, except in five Pulse Check cities: in Los Angeles, New Orleans, Sioux Falls, and Washington, DC, users are evenly split between males and females; and in El Paso, users are more commonly females. Methamphetamine use is reportedly an increasing problem among women in Denver and Honolulu. The drug is a particular problem within the gay communities in Los Angeles and Seattle, where the drug is perceived by users as a "health aid" to combat chronic fatigue associated with HIV.
In Denver, gays reportedly inject cocaine with methamphetamine. Methamphetamine use is also beginning to be observed in the gay community in New York, according to epidemiologic and ethnographic sources.
Where do methamphetamine users tend to reside? Suburban and rural areas are the most likely place of residence for methamphetamine users in Birmingham, Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and St. Louis. Conversely, methamphetamine use is more frequently observed among those in urban areas in Billings, Boston, El Paso, Memphis, and Philadelphia. Methamphetamine use appears to be a problem in all types of areas in Denver, Honolulu, and Seattle.
How do users administer methamphetamine? Route of administration varies widely across Pulse Check cities, with no clear regional pattern. Injecting is the most common route in Billings, Denver, Philadelphia, and Seattle, according to epidemiologic and ethnographic sources; by contrast, users in Chicago, Detroit, and Washington, DC, most frequently snort methamphetamine. Smoking is the most common route of administration in Honolulu, Los Angeles (where it is increasing), and Sioux Falls. In Birmingham and El Paso, epidemiologic and ethnographic sources report that oral administration is the most common route, while treatment providers report injecting as the most common route. In Denver, users have been switching from snorting to injecting, according to epidemiologic and ethnographic sources. In Seattle, treatment sources cite an increase in smoking.
What other drugs do methamphetamine users take? Many methamphetamine users also have problems with other licit and illicit substances of abuse. Alcohol is the most common substance they use. Marijuana is also frequently used, as in Denver, where it is used to "come down" after methamphetamine use. Other drugs cited by epidemiologic and ethnographic sources are cocaine injection in Denver (in the gay community), club drugs in New Orleans and Washington, DC, and poppers in Seattle. In the Los Angeles gay community, medical consequences have resulted from methamphetamine taken with sildenafil citrate (Viagra ®). Treatment providers in Denver report an increase in cocaine use as a secondary drug, and the El Paso non-methadone source lists heroin, injected with methamphetamine as a "speedball," as the most common concurrently used drug.
Where and with whom is methamphetamine used? Methamphetamine use tends to be a group activity, according to epidemiologic and ethnographic sources. They cite parties, raves, trailer parks, bars, bathhouses, and homes as the usual places for methamphetamine use. In contrast, treatment sources indicate that methamphetamine is often taken alone in many cities. In most reporting cities, methamphetamine is used several times each week, but multiple daily use is reported by epidemiologic and ethnographic sources in Billings, Columbia, and Seattle.
METHAMPHETAMINE:
THE SELLERS
Who, How, Where, and With What?
How are street-level methamphetamine sellers organized? Methamphetamine distributors are affiliated with trafficking organizations in 5 of the 12 reporting Pulse Check cities where law enforcement sources reported on the subject. Ties with Mexican organizations are reported in Denver, Honolulu, and Seattle. Domestic organizations are reported in Denver and Honolulu (Californian groups), and biker gangs are reported in New Orleans and Philadelphia. Other Philadelphia distributors include some Italian groups and some independent groups. Independent groups are also cited by the other seven reporting law enforcement sources in the following cities: Boston; El Paso, where the law enforcement source notes that "makers are users"; Los Angeles, where the drug is obtained from friends and intimates; Memphis; Sioux Falls, where "independents" who deal methamphetamine are slightly more organized, via family ties, than those who distribute other drugs; and St. Louis, where independent distributors are affiliated with other users and sellers.
Epidemiologic and ethnographic sources corroborate the Mexican connection in Denver and Seattle and also indicate a similar connection in Sioux Falls. They cite biker gangs in Detroit (where those gangs are not a visible group) and New York, local cooks in Seattle and the rural areas outside of Detroit, small "mom-and-pop" lab operators in St. Louis rural areas, and independent distributors in Washington, DC.
How old are street-level methamphetamine sellers? In 9 of the 12 Pulse Check cities where law enforcement sources reported on seller age, the age range is remarkably wide: 20–50 in Billings; 18–40 in Boston; 15–65 in Denver; 17–early-fifties in Honolulu; 20–40 in Los Angeles; early-twenties-late-forties in Memphis; 20–45 in New Orleans; and "all ages" in New York. In Seattle, the law enforcement source notes that it is "hard to establish a(n age) pattern for the local labs because the stuff is everywhere." By contrast, sellers' age ranges are narrower in El Paso (18–25), Sioux Falls (20–35), and St. Louis (26–38).
Epidemiologic and ethnographic sources generally note that sellers are in their twenties and thirties, except in Detroit where the small number of methamphetamine sellers have a wider age range of 20–50.
Do methamphetamine sellers use their own drugs? In all 13 cities whose Pulse Check law enforcement sources discussed this question, methamphetamine sellers do indeed use their own drug. As a matter of fact, just about all the sellers in Denver reportedly do so, as do the majority in Honolulu and approximately 80 percent of sellers in St. Louis. In Seattle, "cooks" often start their trade because they are users to begin with. In Sioux Falls, however, quite a few methamphetamine sellers do not use their drug.
Epidemiologic and ethnographic sources confirm that the sellers use their own drug. In Seattle, however, while local cooks reportedly use their own methamphetamine, Mexican sellers do not.
Where and how is street-level methamphetamine sold? (Exhibit 5) Methamphetamine is often sold in rural areas, as reported by law enforcement sources in Memphis, Seattle, and St. Louis. In other cities, however, it is sold in urban areas: in El Paso, labs are small enough to be in residential areas; in Memphis, methamphetamine is sold in the inner city, but to a lesser extent than in rural areas; in New Orleans the drug is processed in rural areas but sold in urban areas; in New York it is sold in both residential and commercial urban areas; in Philadelphia, it is sold in the northern part of the city; and in Seattle sales are beginning to spread from the rural areas into the suburbs and inner city. Moreover, methamphetamine is reportedly sold "all over" or "citywide," according to law enforcement sources in Billings, Honolulu, Los Angeles, and Sioux Falls. Epidemiologic and ethnographic sources corroborate many of these reports and add that methamphetamine is also sold in the suburbs of Birmingham and Chicago.
Methamphetamine sales take place both outdoors—as reported in Denver, Honolulu, Los Angeles, and Memphis—and indoors in a variety of settings, such as private residences, bars, clubs, restaurants, parties, cars, truck stops, and even places of business. The drug is often sold in small closed social groups—hand-to-hand, friend-to-friend, or acquaintance-to-acquaintance— as reported in El Paso, Los Angeles, Memphis, St. Louis, and Sioux Falls. None of the midwestern sources report methamphetamine sales in the club or bar scene. What other drugs do methamphetamine dealers sell? Only five law enforcement sources report that methamphetamine dealers also sell other drugs:
- Denver, CO: Marijuana, cocaine
- Honolulu, HI: Marijuana, cocaine, heroin ("everything")
- New Orleans, LA: Methcathinone ("cat")
- Seattle, WA: Marijuana
- Sioux Falls, SD: Marijuana
The Seattle epidemiologic source corroborates that methamphetamine sellers also sell marijuana, and the Washington, DC, epidemiologic source adds that some methamphetamine sellers also sell "ecstasy" and LSD.
How is methamphetamine packaged and marketed? Small plastic bags are the most commonly reported packaging for methamphetamine, according to Pulse Check law enforcement sources in El Paso, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Sioux Falls, and St. Louis. Other reported packaging includes foil in Denver and, in Memphis, either a small cellophane pack or wax paper knotted up. An epidemiologic source adds that methamphetamine in Detroit is packaged in paper wrappers.
METHAMPHETAMINE: THE COMMUNITY
How is the impact of and community reaction to the methamphetamine problem? Methamphetamine affects communities in many ways: it is associated with violence, as discussed above, and with adverse medical consequences. As a result, media attention often focuses on the problem and communities react with a variety of prevention efforts, law enforcement efforts, and changing sentencing practices.
Adverse medical consequences:
Honolulu, HI: Methamphetamine-related episodes are sporadically reported from psychiatric wards, where the drug is viewed as a real problem.
Media and other prevention efforts:
Detroit, MI: The Pulse Check epidemiologic source notes some media efforts, such as TV spots, targeted at methamphetamine. It is still too early to assess the impact on the community.
Honolulu, HI: The Women's Amphetamine Treatment for Community Health (WATCH) has sponsored several public service announcements (PSAs) targeting female users of crystal methamphetamine. The epidemiologic source notes, however, that these PSAs are usually aired at around 2:00 am, thus having a limited impact.
Sioux Falls, SD: The epidemiologic source suggests that the community's education efforts, based on zero tolerance and increased parent involvement, have resulted in a drop in adolescent use of methamphetamine.
Seattle, WA: Methamphetamine lab education sessions for the community were started in Olympia, Washington, a little more than a year ago. The sessions are extremely popular and are growing statewide; they now train others to educate. The law enforcement source notes that the impact of these sessions should be evident by the next Pulse Check issue.
Law enforcement efforts:
Detroit, MI: Recent methamphetamine lab busts have gotten some publicity. Los Angeles, CA: Newspaper reports of major methamphetamine seizures so far have not affected supply, which remains high.
Seattle, WA: The epidemiologic source notes that the sharp increase in methamphetamine lab seizures is the direct result of the Washington State Patrol response team, which targets these labs. The law enforcement source suggests that these efforts are completely reactive: as the community knows more, the budget targeted at methamphetamine increases, and more busts occur.
Sioux Falls, SD: The epidemiologic source links the increase in methamphetamine busts as to a methamphetamine task force.
Denver, CO: Law enforcement efforts have targeted methamphetamine specifically.
Miami, FL: Some law enforcement efforts and legislation have targeted precursors: in a major national case, massive amounts of ephedrine were seized in the Ft. Lauderdale area, where a drug ring was involved in warehousing the drug for shipment to Los Angeles.
Changing sentencing practices:
Portland, ME: Possession of methamphetamine is now considered a felony, according to the law enforcement source, who also notes that more aggressive judges are taking more interest in these cases.
