When was methamphetamine made illegal

This methamphetamine is highly pure, potent, and low in price. The drug can be easily made in small clandestine laboratories, with relatively inexpensive over-the-counter ingredients such as pseudoephedrine, a common ingredient in cold medications. To curb this kind of production, the law requires pharmacies and other retail stores to keep a purchase record of products containing pseudoephedrine, and take steps to limit sales.

Methamphetamine production also involves a number of other very dangerous chemicals. Toxic effects from these chemicals can remain in the environment long after the lab has been shut down, causing a wide range of health problems for people living in the area.

These chemicals can also result in deadly lab explosions and house fires. People who inject methamphetamine are at increased risk of contracting infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis B and C. These diseases are transmitted through contact with blood or other bodily fluids that can remain on drug equipment.

Methamphetamine use can also alter judgment and decision-making leading to risky behaviors, such as unprotected sex, which also increases risk for infection.

Studies indicate that HIV causes more injury to nerve cells and more cognitive problems in people who use methamphetamine than it does in people who have HIV and don't use the drug. In addition, continued methamphetamine use causes changes in the brain's dopamine system that are associated with reduced coordination and impaired verbal learning.

In studies of people who used methamphetamine over the long term, severe changes also affected areas of the brain involved with emotion and memory. Although some of these brain changes may reverse after being off the drug for a year or more, other changes may not recover even after a long period of time. Researchers don't yet know whether people breathing in secondhand methamphetamine smoke can get high or have other health effects.

What they do know is that people can test positive for methamphetamine after exposure to secondhand smoke. Therefore, women who are actively using methamphetamine should not breastfeed. Given the potential risks to maternal, fetal, and infant health with methamphetamine use in pregnancy, identification of use is important. All pregnant women should be asked about past and recent smoking, alcohol, and other drug use as part of the prenatal history. Asking about partner substance use may aid patient disclosure of personal drug use Studies have shown that pregnant methamphetamine users are more likely to be white, young, and unmarried 28 , Women using methamphetamine often seek prenatal care late in pregnancy and experience poor weight gain.

Signs of methamphetamine use include track marks from intravenous injection, malnutrition, severe dental decay, and skin abscesses from skin picking secondary to formication 8. Urine toxicology screening is an adjunct to detect or confirm suspected substance abuse. However, screening should only be done with consent, and the pregnant woman must be informed of the potential ramifications of a positive test result, including any mandated reporting requirements 30 , Screening for substance abuse should be seen as part of complete obstetric care but should be done in partnership with women to maintain care and allow for appropriate referral to treatment.

Obstetricians should be aware of laws and regulations in their practice locations regarding reporting of maternal toxicology testing Meconium testing for methamphetamine use also may be used after parental consent, but immunoassay positive test results should be confirmed by methods such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry because false positive test results are frequent Testing of infant hair or umbilical cord specimens has been evaluated but is not routinely available All women reporting methamphetamine use should be counseled and offered help to discontinue use.

Women who are unable to stop using methamphetamine or other drugs during pregnancy or who desire treatment when they are not pregnant should be referred for treatment.

Given the intensity of treatment required and the urgency of treatment in pregnancy, it is highly recommended that pregnant women seek care voluntarily at a residential treatment center whenever possible. If outpatient treatment is used, intensive schedules of three to five visits per week are needed for the first several weeks with two to three sessions per week continuing for at least 90 days after initiation Cognitive—behavioral therapy, such as the Matrix Model, which includes behavioral therapy, family education, individual counseling, step support, and drug testing is recommended 35 , Contingency management interventions, which provide tangible incentives in exchange for engaging in treatment and maintaining abstinence, also have been shown to be effective No pharmacologic treatments have been shown to be effective thus far.

Pregnant women using methamphetamine should receive comprehensive prenatal care, including nutritional assessment and social support services. They should be tested for sexually transmitted infections and HIV. Given the increased rate of fetal growth restriction with methamphetamine use, baseline ultrasonography for clinical dating should be obtained early in pregnancy with follow-up ultrasound examinations for growth determination in the third trimester. Additional assessments such as fetal surveillance should be done as clinically indicated.

Appropriate follow-up and support of the woman and her infant after delivery are important because the stresses of the postpartum period may increase the risk of relapse. The following resources are listed for information purposes only. Listing of these resources and web sites does not imply the endorsement of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

This list is not meant to be comprehensive. The inclusion or exclusion of a source or web sites does not reflect the quality of that source or web site. What is Meth? What is a Meth Lab? Meth Lab Products. These "recipes" can include the following: Over-the-counter medications that include pseudoephedrine or ephedrine in their contents. Combinations of volatile organic compounds VOCs , acids, bases, metals, solvents and salts.

Chemical products and substances that are used interchangeably to produce meth in different forms. Ways to Recognize a Meth Lab. Health Effects. Symptoms of Methamphetamine Abuse. Health Effects of Meth Lab Exposure. Acute Exposure - Occur over a short period of time. Symptoms include shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, dizziness, lack of coordination, chemical irritation, or burns to skin, eyes, nose and mouth. Death could result when exposure is to a highly toxic chemical or the person exposed is especially vulnerable.

Non-users can experience these effects during or immediately after "cooking. Symptoms have occurred in people exposed to active labs, such as law enforcement personnel and other first responders who have entered a drug lab before the site has been cleaned or ventilated. Chronic Exposures - Exposed over time to chemicals or byproducts in low or high amounts Liver and kidney damage Neurological problems Increased risk of cancer Child Medical Evaluation Protocol.

Information For Real Estate Agents What remediation means, how to know whether a property was a meth lab, and disclosure requirements Contractors Necessary contractor qualifications plus their roles and responsibilities County Officials Responsibilities of the authority overseeing a meth lab cleanup Property Owners Responsibilities of the owner of a property that has been declared a meth lab Landlords What to do if you suspect a meth lab or meth use on your property Renters What to do if you are concerned about a meth lab or meth use Law Enforcement Responsibilities of law enforcement when arrests are made at a "clandestine lab site".

Methamphetamine was difficult to make until , when another Japanese chemist—Akira Ogata—streamlined the process. Methamphetamine is a stimulant drug. A form of the drug known as methamphetamine hydrochloride, marketed as Desoxyn, is a Food and Drug Administration FDA -controlled substance used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD and obesity.

Other, illegal forms of methamphetamine—usually in the form of a white powder—can be recreationally snorted or dissolved in water and injected. Crystal meth is a solid, crystalline form of the drug. It may look like shards of glass or clear-white rocks. Users often smoke or snort crystal meth. Smoking the drug can quickly elevate levels of methamphetamine in the brain. This gives users a rapid, intense high, making crystal meth both more addictive and potentially more harmful than other forms of methamphetamine.

American pharmaceutical company Smith, Kline, and French began marketing the amphetamine inhaler for use in asthma and nasal congestion in Their inhaler medication, called Benzedrine, was initially available without a prescription.

People soon discovered its euphoric, energizing side effects. Because of these stimulant-type effects, pharmaceutical companies began to manufacture Benzedrine in pill form for narcolepsy a sleep disorder. During World War II , German pharmaceutical company Temmler marketed methamphetamine tablets as a nonprescription drug under the brand name Pervitin. Japanese, U. Kamikaze pilots received high doses of Pervitin before suicide flight missions.

Japanese factory workers also used methamphetamine to work longer hours. The German army ordered front-line soldiers and fighter pilots to take military-issued stimulants that contained a combination of methamphetamine and cocaine. Recreational use of Benzedrine—or bennies—became a popular part of Beatnik culture in the s. Auden , reportedly used artificial stimulants, including bennies.