Methamphetamine continues to be a rapidly growing problem in many areas of the country.
In
Alabama, a household survey found that the number of state residents in need of treatment for
methamphetamine abuse nearly equals that for cocaine and exceeds that for heroin. Treatment
providers
in California, Oregon, Georgia, Arizona and North Carolina report significant increases in
clients entering
treatment with methamphetamine problems. One clinical director in Arizona reported that 70–80
percent
of clients are methamphetamine abusers, and in Washington state, methamphetamine admissions
are up
20 percent over last winter.
Ethnographers in California and Colorado report a steady climb in the numbers of
methamphetamine users in their areas. The Colorado ethnographer comments that as recently
as a year
ago methamphetamine was considered a "biker" drug, but it is now gaining in popularity and
"moving
into new groups." Some new users are former cocaine users who have switched to
methamphetamine.
As a drug which can be injected, inhaled, or made into pills, methamphetamine attracts a wide
variety of
users. In San Francisco it is popular among young club goers, suburbanites, and heroin users.
Some
heroin users in that area "speedball" with heroin and methamphetamine rather than the more
common
speedball combination of heroin and cocaine. Police sources in Seattle report that
methamphetamine is
the "drug of choice." It enters the area in large quantities from Mexico and is incorporated
into the
distribution networks for heroin and cocaine.
Methamphetamine is also one of the few drugs reported as more or equally prevalent as
other
illicit drugs in areas outside the inner city (Colorado, California, Washington, D.C.). Police
sources in
Washington, D.C. report that it is used heavily in the suburbs, especially on college and
university
campuses. In that area, it is most commonly found in granular form and snorted. Police
contacts in
Southern California report that cocaine,
particularly crack, has acquired a "lowlife" reputation, while methamphetamine has gained a
reputation
as a "hip drug." Use in Southern California appears to be
pervasive—from Mexican
immigrants to high
school students to Hollywood club goers. Many methamphetamine users are former cocaine
users. A
Georgia treatment provider described methamphetamine as "redneck cocaine," referring to its
popularity
among white working class users who may have formerly used cocaine.
Rohypnol, a powerful benzodiazepine tranquilizer, is also cited widely as an Emerging drug.
Ethnographers in Delaware and Florida state that Rohypnol was formerly one of several "club
drugs"
used by young club and rave goers, but it has now reached a wider audience and is Emerging
as a street
drug of abuse. Sources in the South and along the Mexican border report its prevalence, and
it also
appears in reports from Washington, D.C. and the Mid-Atlantic area. In addition, sources report
that other
"club drugs" such as Xanax, Ketamine, Clonipin, and Quaaludes are also increasingly popular,
especially
among younger drug users.
Ephedrine is a rising problem in many areas. There is increased interest in "natural
products"
that contain ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, which reportedly act like methamphetamine or
MDMA. These
products are legal, and they are often marketed as energy enhancers or weight loss aids in health
food
stores and mail order catalogs. In Texas, sources report that consumers are trying to buy large
quantities
of these products in pharmacies.
