Methamphetamine: An Illegal Drug Used For Recreational & Medical Purposes - Research Paper

Introduction

Methamphetamine is a substance that is used in the treatment of hyperactivity attention disorder deficit. The drug is majorly used as a recreational drug substance. In the year 2012, it was estimated that 16,000 people are prescribed to the medication in America (Boshears, Boeri &Harbry, 2011). According to the survey that was done indicated that over 1.2 million Americans were recorded using Methamphetamine in the past year. The drug is majorly manufactured in ordinary households and laboratories. Introduction of the Methamphetamine Act of 2005, has led to a decline in the production of the drug in the laboratory and homes. Over a total of 3898 kg of Methamphetamine and a total of 11,210 products in meth labs were seized by the DEA(Boshears et al.2011). Methamphetamine drug was introduced in the United States by the Sinaloa Cartel. In this paper, we will analyze the various effects of Methamphetamine use in the United States. Some of the key points that will be explained in the project include the cause of the drug, impact, treatment, and regulation.

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The Cause of Methamphetamine Addiction

Methamphetamine is an addictive stimulant that kills the nerves structure of a person. The drug was developed in curing the nasal decongestants and patients suffering from bronchial inhalers. The users of Methamphetamine experience a high level of talkativeness and increase activity. The methamphetamine drug is believed to be caused by an illegal operation cartel in the country referred to as, Sinaloa. The use of the drug has created several effects ranging from social-economic in the United States. With the growth of drugs in the United States to 1.6 million, there are several challenges that the country will face (Gonzalez, 2017). Statistics done in the United States indicated that people above the age of 12 years are likely to be the primary abusers of the drug. Most of the citizens have recorded several health effects due to the consumption of the drug.

Effect of Methamphetamine in the United States

There are various effects challenges that Methamphetamine brings to the health of an individual and the growth of the economic stability of a country. In the United States, an increasing number of patients have experienced increased physical and appetite-related challenges. Other health-related problems include heartbeat, blood pressure, and cardiovascular difficulties. Methamphetamine also is believed to produce harmful elements that affect the nerve terminals of the brain of an individual. Methamphetamine is comprised of both long-term and short term effect among the users. Statistics indicated that the drug increased attention and decreases fatigue among the patients, euphoria, and rush, hyperthermia, irregular heartbeat, and reduced appetite.

There are long-term effects of Methamphetamine among American citizens. The addition of Methamphetamine may affect the health structure of the abusers in one perspective. The drug causes a long term effect on the health of most of the United States residents. Some of the long-term results include Insomnia, anxiety, paranoia, and hallucination. The psychotic symptoms affect the victim for an extended period. Addiction to the drug also causes permanent brain damage to the user, a factor that affects the normal functioning of an individual. The study states that Methamphetamine affects the normal brain function of an individual, a factor that hinders the decision-making process of an individual. The United States has invested a tremendous huge financial base in curing the victims of Methamphetamine in the country. Treatment of Methamphetamine is hard and expensive, a factor that results in a massive loss to government revenue operations. There are several long-term effects a patient of Methamphetamine faces. Some of this long-term effect include mod disturbance, severe dental problems, increased distractibility, and aggressive, violent behavior.

Methamphetamine Treatment and Care

Several machines are taken to treat an individual who is suffering from a methamphetamine infection in the country. One of the formal treatment policies includes behavioral therapy, individual counseling, and family education, drug testing, and 12-step support. The following methods are majorly used in the United States while attending to the patients suffering from Methamphetamine. The United States government introduced contingency management interventions. The firms gave the members of the public an overview of some of the effects of the product on the health of a human being. According to the research that was conducted indicated that the Methamphetamine could not be cured by taking the medication in the market. However, taking of medicine can prolong the disease dominance in the body of a victim.

Methamphetamine Illegal

In the United States, the number of people who are prescribed in using the product illegally is estimated to be around 16000 yearly (Hoffmann et al.2016). There several restrictions that were introduced in order to control the use of Methamphetamine in the United States. Some of these restrictions include limits on the manufacturing, filling, and refiling of a constraint product and managing the illegal usage and production of illicit products. Making Methamphetamine products does not require expensive products, a factor that, at one point to the other, will help in increasing the level of manufacturing level of the product. The medicine currently is not available over-the-counter ad, along with any medical facility sector. Several medicine bodies have been introduced in order to regulate illegal medical facilities in the market.

Regulation

Methamphetamine was sold as an over the counter drug in the United States in around 1960. However, there were various reported cases in relation to the abuse of Methamphetamine in the United States. According to the report done by FDA commissioner George, there were over 153 reported cases of Methamphetamine abuse in the country (Linnemann et al. 2013). In the year 1970, the United States introduced the regulation of the Methamphetamine substance Act Bill. There was also a law that was passed in the United States that prohibited the possession of any substance of Methamphetamine in the country. Even though there were a number of Acts which were put in place in curbing the Methamphetamine abuse, it did not stop the expansion of the drug in the country. The drug abuse spread among the Midwest and South, along with the California states. The United States announced that Methamphetamine is a severe drug, especially among the Western countries. There are constant campaigns that various states established in controlling the abuse of the drug in the United States. Some of the countries that were involved in a quest to control the damage include Montana, southern Idaho, Arizona, and Colorado.

Creation of Laws

In the year 1989, there are several laws that the United States government has instigated in controlling the production of Methamphetamine in the country. In the past 17 years, there have been severe restrictions that have been induced in curbing the purchasing and selling of the product. Several companies such as Walgreens, Kroger, CVS, and Target have introduced measures in limiting the manufacturing of the drug in the market(Murakawa2011).These rule has restricted the purchasers in purchasing the product without a valid I.D. The increase in the consumption of the drug grew stronger in the Southwest and Midwest regions of the United States. In the rural-urban areas, there was an overwhelming increase in the usage of the product among the residents.

United States Attorney Janet Reno, created a public awareness platform where the members of the public were advised on some of the incoming dangers related to Methamphetamine abuse. In the year 1996, the abuse of Methamphetamine increased drastically in the United States (Shukla et al. 2012). During the conference of Mayor in the United States, one of the agenda that was discussed was in relation to the effect of Methamphetamine abuse among the rural communities. United States Leaders concluded that it was appropriate to look for a strategy that was to prevent and control the challenge from growing among the citizens.

The Methamphetamine Epidemic Act restricted the use of all products made from the product in the market. There were numerous campaigns that were conducted in order to control the abuse of methamphetamine products in the market. The firms responsible for managing the methamphetamine product introduced a policy where all the purchase of the chemicals was to be given an account for their use. The chemical firms also would face prosecution when they were in a business of selling to the company's methamphetamine of sale products in the country.

In the year 2000, the inland northwest and along the western United States region, the Methamphetamine was regarded as an excellent substance than cocaine and heroin. According to the survey that was done indicated that more than 80% of the methamphetamine life (Mau et al. 2014). An increase in the use of the chemical drew a significant impact among the members of the public in the United States.

Social and Environmental Risks

The highly addictive nature of the Methamphetamine product can result in loss of finance a relationship growth from an individual in one perspective to the other. In most cases, the addict focuses typically on the next drug, a factor that will result in being lazy and loss of work. The manufacturing of Methamphetamine will result in the development of a poisonous and toxic product that will destroy both the food and air of the surrounding. Non-Methamphetamine users, on the other hand, will be affected due to environmental exposure to the product. In the United States, over 100,000 emergency department visits related Methamphetamine on a daily basis (Omori, 2013). These statistics clearly illustrate how the United States economy has been affected by the rate of addiction to the drug. According to the recent survey done in the United States found out that over 3200 poisoning sites have been contributed by the Methamphetamine (Shukla et al. 2012). The United States health centers have continuously reported several cases on the increase of poison among the members of the public. Lastly, Methamphetamine is much responsible for the death of over 4500 United States citizens in the country.

Methamphetamine abuse is has a sever cause to the life of a person. However, it is only approximated that over 1.6 million United States citizens are affected by the challenge(Gonzalez, 2017). With the current increase in the abuse of the drug, there is a considerable concern by the United States government to ensure that all the health sectors or companies selling the product are seized. Methamphetamine Act should also be followed to the latter. Any company that violates the ruling or directive of the company will, therefore, will be taken into court. On the other hand, various public awareness campaigns should be introduced in enlightening the public on the effect of the abuse of Methamphetamine

References

Boshears, P., Boeri, M., &Harbry, L. (2011). Addiction and sociality: Perspectives from methamphetamine users in suburban USA. Addiction research & theory, 19(4), 289-301.Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/16066359.2011.566654

Gonzalez, M. B. (2017). Exploring Community and Cultural Opportunities to Decrease Substance Abuse among American Indian Youth: A Photovoice Project (Doctoral dissertation, University of Minnesota).Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/openview/16afa2bd9cf4195c7ec734d7e2aee95a/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

Hoffmann, L., Schumann, N., Fankhaenel, T., Thiel, C., Klement, A., & Richt...