How bad is the methamphetamine epidemic?
The bad news on methamphetamines: • More than 10,000 people went to hospital emergency rooms in 1999 after using methamphetamines. • As much as half the brains dopamine producing cells can be damaged after exposure to even low levels of meth. The result: a brain that looks as if it has had strokes or Alzheimers or Parkinsons disease. • Meth can also cause cariovascular problems, hyperthermia (dangerously high body temperatures), and convulsions, all of which can result in death. • Drug users often practice unsafe sex, putting them at greater risk for sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV and AIDS • Selling or producing methamphetamine can mean up to 20 years in prison and millions of dollars in fines. • In 2000, individuals who lived in metropolitan areas were more likely than those in non-metropolitan areas to have used an illicit drug during the past year.
