Methamphetamine Production Research Articles

The Political Power and Pitfalls of Identity and Cultural Creation: A Reading of Seeking Home

REVIEW-ESSAY THERESA L. BURRISS Radford University The Political Power and Pitfalls of Identity and Cultural Creation: A Reading of Seeking Home WHEN I BEGAN READING SEEKING HOME: MARGINALIZATION AND Representation in Appalachian Literature and Song, I immediately found myself on alert for an overly romanticized view of the region. Coeditor Leslie Harper Worthington’s introduction, “Finding Home in Lee Smith’s Fair and Tender Ladies,” does include sentimental memories of Worthington’s grandmother and grandfather, who raised her in several locales outside of Appalachia, although her grandparents hailed from Greenup County, Kentucky, located in the region. Crediting Smith’s protagonist, Ivy Rowe, with serving as catalyst for those memories, Worthington catalogs characteristics exhibited by her grandparents that mirror many of Loyal Jones’s “Appalachian Values” (“Individualism, Self-Reliance, and Pride” [509]), characteristics that embarrassed Worthington as a burgeoning teenager. When recounting her frustration with her grandmother for not allowing her to ride to school with the family across the street, instead of on the “smelly, noisy, stupid old school bus,” she confesses, “I didn’t know what it meant to be beholden and why if we couldn’t return the favor, I couldn’t accept their offer” (3). Worthington presents an almost verbatim value asserted by Jones: “The pride of the mountaineer is mostly a feeling of not wanting to be beholden to other people” (510). Worthington continues to catalog the ways Ivy resonates with her, asserting, “I felt part of something in a way I’m not sure I had ever felt before. I was finding an identity” (4). Although I rail against the overly romantic in most contexts, who am I to deny the power of a fictional character in transforming a reader? Additionally, Worthington presents more than her own story, a story she bravely and honestly shares with us. She includes reputable Appalachian scholars who problematize the notions of identity and region, who debunk monolithic representations of Appalachia. At the 122 Theresa L. Burriss start Worthington distinguishes between claiming and seeking home, thereby establishing both a theoretical and a physical context for the collection. She asserts that the collection’s goal is “to function as a kaleidoscope of sorts, illuminating different modes of belonging and representation, rendering audible the polyvocality of multiple Appalachian realities, of Appalachia as home” (8). Indeed, the collection does succeed, although some chapters achieve the desired goal better than others— almost every chapter needed an acute critical eye to correct grammar, spelling, and other surface errors. While several of the chapters address topics widely known not only in Appalachian but also in southern studies through the lens of “seeking home,” others highlight lesser known authors and issues that expand the region’s repertoire. Some chapters focus on literature that brings to bear contemporary problems ravaging the region, such as methamphetamine production and addiction. Kimberly M. Jew’s chapter on the Civil War journals of Alexander Sterrett Paxton is an example of recognizing the lesser known, for she engaged in primary research to chronicle this soldier’s attempts to make sense of his war experience. Establishing the direction of the chapter, Jew proposes, “A home offers the empowered subject an outward and distinct manifestation of his or her identity, and fostersanemotionalrelationshiptoone’sroots”(35).Throughhisjournal writing, Paxton sought a strong sense of self and agency in a time when he served as mere expendable foot soldier. He yearns to create a home in the army camp even while longing for his actual home of Rockbridge County, Virginia. Jew notes that to Paxton, “the heart of his army home is not rooted in physical space or location. His army home is composed of the people who live there and the energy and routine they create when living together” (42). In one particular month, Paxton records his dreams that further testify to his need to assert his subjectivity in an othering,objectifyingenvironment.BothPaxton’sarmyandRockbridge County homes merge in one revealing dream. Thus, Jew argues that “home proves a combination of both matter and imagination, with its greatest legacy being an intangible feeling of belonging—present, past, or future tense” (51). Like Jew’s chapter, James A. Owen’s “‘Come Holy Spirit:’ The Holy Ghost in the...

From Soda Bottles To Super Labs: An Analysis Of North America's Dual Methamphetamine Production Networks

This article uses the global production network perspective to analyze the various actors involved in the production and distribution of methamphetamine in North America. The paper analyzes the organization and operation of the two dominant network typologies at work in the United States: small toxic labs and Mexican drug‐trafficking organizations. Particular emphasis is placed on how the networks have adapted to changes in the regulatory context in which they operate. I conclude with potential policy recommendations for curtailing methamphetamine production within both networks.

Phenylephrine Is No More Effective Than Placebo for Nasal Congestion

For most patients with allergic rhinitis, nasal congestion is the most bothersome symptom. Oral pseudoephedrine is effective for nasal congestion, but federal laws have limited its availability because of its use in methamphetamine production. Phenylephrine, another over-the-counter oral decongestant, is more readily available, but data on its efficacy are limited. In this open-label trial, U.S. investigators randomized 539 adults with allergic rhinitis to …

Willingness-to-accept pharmaceutical retail inconvenience: evidence from a contingent choice experiment.

ObjectivesRestrictions on retail purchases of pseudoephedrine are one regulatory approach to reduce the social costs of methamphetamine production and use, but may impose costs on legitimate users of nasal decongestants. This is the first study to evaluate the costs of restricting access to medications on consumer welfare. Our objective was to measure the inconvenience cost consumers place on restrictions for cold medication purchases including identification requirements, purchase limits, over-the-counter availability, prescription requirements, and the active ingredient.MethodsWe conducted a contingent choice experiment with Amazon Mechanical Turk workers that presented participants with randomized, hypothetical product prices and combinations of restrictions that reflect the range of public policies. We used a conditional logit model to calculate willingness-to-accept each restriction.ResultsRespondents’ willingness-to-accept prescription requirements was $14.17 ($9.76–$18.58) and behind-the-counter restrictions was $9.68 ($7.03–$12.33) per box of pseudoephedrine product. Participants were willing to pay $4.09 ($1.66–$6.52) per box to purchase pseudoephedrine-based products over phenylephrine-based products.ConclusionsRestricting access to medicines as a means of reducing the social costs of non-medical use can imply large inconvenience costs for legitimate consumers. These results are relevant to discussions of retail access restrictions on other medications.

PMH56 - The relationship between Pseudoephedrine Sales and Clandestine Methamphetamine Labs

The illicit production of methamphetamine from the precursor chemical pseudoephedrine (PSE) in clandestine laboratories poses a public health risk for our communities and a financial burden on law enforcement. Previous work has shown a strong relationship between PSE sales and clandestine labs in Kentucky. The purpose of this project is to extend the study to Illinois and Louisiana and refine the model by adding additional explanatory variables and control variables. Regression models predicting clandestine methamphetamine lab incidents using 2011 to 2012 county-level data for Kentucky, Illinois and Louisiana were calculated. Explanatory factors include PSE sales (in grams), population density, percent of adults with a high school diploma and percent population unemployed. Data sources include the National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx), the National Clandestine Laboratory Seizure report data received from the Drug Enforcement Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation Crime in the United States statistics and the Census Bureau American Community Survey. Results indicate a strong positive relationship between PSE sales and clandestine labs (p<0.01). Counties with a more highly educated population (p<0.05) on average have fewer lab while a more rural population on average is associated with greater number of labs (p<0.05). Individually, sales of PSE are strongly correlated to labs in both Kentucky and Illinois, but not Louisiana. PSE sales have a strong relationship to clandestine labs. Counties with greater sales of PSE have a greater number of clandestine labs, controlling for counties with no labs reported. These findings are an important addition to our previous work providing evidence for a strong association between PSE sales and clandestine labs in multiple states over multiple years and have important policy implications as states struggle with policy options to reduce methamphetamine production in their communities.

Long-term management of severe ocular surface injury due to methamphetamine production accidents.

The aim of this study was to report the clinical features and management of patients with ocular surface damage during methamphetamine production accidents. This is a retrospective noncomparative interventional case series of 5 patients with methamphetamine production-related ocular injuries referred to the Cincinnati Eye Institute between 1999 and 2014. Four of 5 cases were white young men with severe bilateral ocular injury and extremely poor vision. All except 1 eye (9 of 10) were diagnosed with total or near-total ocular surface failure. Limbal stem cell transplantation was performed in 8 of 10 eyes. Keratolimbal allograft was followed by penetrating keratoplasty in 7 of 10 eyes. Ocular surface stability was achieved in 7 of 10 eyes after keratolimabl allograft. Postoperative visual acuity was better than 20/200 in 4 of 10 of eyes. Keratolimbal graft rejection occurred in 3 of 10 eyes; the rate of rejection of penetrating keratoplasty was also 3 out of 10 eyes. Methamphetamine-related accidents can lead to severe bilateral ocular injuries. Although stem cell transplantation procedure success is guarded in most of these patients because of severe conjunctival inflammation and accompanying ocular comorbidities, as well as personality issues, compliant patients can achieve good visual function with ocular surface transplantation and subsequent keratoplasty.

U.S. Counties’ Vulnerability to Methamphetamine Labs

This national study analyzes county-level risk factors for methamphetamine manufacture. Neural network and probit models are used to test the effectiveness of county-level characteristics in predicting methamphetamine production levels. Data on all 3,143 counties are drawn from the U.S. DEA’s Clandestine Laboratory Surveillance System, the 2000 U.S. Census and health service resources from the 2004 Area Resource File, and the Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCRP) for the period 2002-2005. The resulting model accurately predicted methamphetamine production levels 85% of the time. The leading variables were existing methamphetamine problems, seizures in contiguous counties, families with “female head of household,” home value, and “percentage of White population.” Several variables that factored heavily in earlier single-community studies had very little impact in this national study. This study’s results suggest a new approach to assessing community vulnerability to drug manufacturer and a need to refocus efforts in fighting the problem.

The advent of a new pseudoephedrine product to combat methamphetamine abuse

Background: The personal and societal effects of methamphetamine abuse are well documented. The ease of accessibility to methamphetamine and the quality of the “high” it produces makes the drug highly desired by its abusers. Over time, many methamphetamine users will also become methamphetamine cooks, where pseudoephedrine in over-the-counter cold products is converted to methamphetamine through a simple, albeit extremely dangerous, process. New laws limiting access to these products have had limited success. No existing commercial pseudoephedrine products offer significant impediments to slow or limit the extraction and conversion of pseudoephedrine in clandestine methamphetamine laboratories. Objective and Methods: A new pseudoephedrine 30 mg tablet product using Impede technology (Nexafed®) to deter methamphetamine production has recently been introduced into the marketplace. Using methods designed to mimic clandestine laboratory processes, the ability of this product to disrupt extraction and conversion of pseudoephedrine to methamphetamine yet provide therapeutic effectiveness was evaluated. Results: Impede™ technology tablets limited the extraction and/or conversion of pseudoephedrine to methamphetamine when compared to a commercially marketed pseudoephedrine product (Sudafed®). Nexafed® tablets were also shown to be bioequivalent to the same control product, thus ensuring therapeutic equivalence. Conclusions: With the advent of new pseudoephedrine products in the marketplace with features to limit the extraction and conversion of pseudoephedrine to methamphetamine, new tools are now available to minimize the clandestine manufacture of the drug and potentially limit its social impact.

Smurfing in Small Toxic Meth Labs: Impact of State Methamphetamine Precursor Policies

Over the past 12 years, 31 states have implemented a wide variety of policies to curb methamphetamine production in small toxic labs. This qualitative study explores the perceived impact of methamphetamine precursor laws in five states. Researchers conducted individual and focus group interviews with 77 key state policy makers and law enforcement personnel. Themes included barriers to development, perceived effectiveness and impact, effective provisions, and unintended consequences. Researchers suggest policy recommendations in light of renewed calls by policy makers and law enforcement personnel to address the recent rapid rise in small toxic lab seizures.

Japan's hiropon panic: Resident non-Japanese and the 1950s meth crisis

BackgroundThis qualitative historical policy analysis explores Japan's early postwar market for hiropon (methamphetamine/meth) and the impact of its anti-hiropon campaigns. The paper traces the origins of medical methamphetamine production in prewar Japan; known at that time by its former brand-name, ‘Philopon’ (pronounced hiropon), and argues that the anti-meth ‘shock-horror’ campaigns of the 1950s were exacerbated by long-simmering animosity toward non-Japanese residents – especially Koreans and Taiwanese. MethodsThrough an analysis of both English- and Japanese-language source materials, the paper explores the gritty, frightening themes of Japan's 1950s-era anti-meth propaganda campaigns and the parallel effort by police to arrest, prosecute, and deport members of the resident Korean and Taiwanese communities. ResultsThe author demonstrates that by incorporating a wider variety of contemporary Japanese-language sources such as news reports and anti-drug propaganda materials about the postwar hiropon trade, we may more fully appreciate the historic, underlying social tensions behind the swift and targeted public response. ConclusionThe author concludes that Japan's postwar federal and municipal governments, together with police and media agencies, cultivated a sensational ‘drug panic’ designed both to dissuade citizens from using hiropon and to fuel a concerted police campaign against non-Japanese involved in the meth trade.

How Abuse-Resistant are the Abuse-Deterrent Medications

The major goal of abuse-deterrent formulations is to help reduce and prevent harm associated with the misuse and abuse of prescription medications. Currently, only a handful of prescription opioid medications have utilized these technologies in both immediate and extended-release formulations. Additionally, an over-the counter cold medication (Zephrex-D®) has entered the market using an abuse-deterrent formulation that inhibits extraction of pseudoephedrine to prohibit illicit methamphetamine production. As these novel formulations move into clinical practice, ways of testing and proving their level of abuse resistance both in-vitro and in the real world has been a topic of great interest.

An evolving problem: Methamphetamine production and trafficking in the United States

Background: Methamphetamine is a serious illicit drug problem in the United States and globally. For decades, methamphetamine has been supplied to the illicit market through local clandestine manufacturing and trafficking. In the early stages, illicit methamphetamine was produced and trafficked by motorcycle gangs and Mexican criminal groups. Over time, local clandestine manufacturing increasingly contributed to the illicit supply and broader methamphetamine problem. This review examines the evolution of the illicit methamphetamine supply in the U.S. Methods: A review of the literature on methamphetamine production and trafficking was conducted. Information was obtained from numerous sources including governmental reports, books and academic articles. Results: Attempts to control the supply of methamphetamine have only led to short term disruptions in availability. Clandestine manufacturing and trafficking have undergone significant changes over the past several decades. Shifts in local production have regularly been counterbalanced by changes in production and trafficking from criminal organizations in Mexico. Transnational criminal organizations now control much of the methamphetamine supply in the U.S. and methamphetamine remains widely available. Conclusions: The supply of methamphetamine in the United States is dynamic. Producers and traffickers have adapted to control efforts and the problem continues. Control efforts focused on eliminating supply are limited at best.

Resurgence of methamphetamine related burns and injuries: A follow-up study

PurposeLegislation enacted to curb methamphetamine production has only temporarily succeeded. Experiencing a recent increase in burns as a result of the new one-pot method, we compared methamphetamine related burn patients who utilized the previous anhydrous ammonia method of production to current patients who largely used the new one-pot method of production. Basic proceduresPatients who were burned as a result of methamphetamine production were retrospectively reviewed. Comparisons were made including demographics, length of stay, injury severity score, hospital charges, total body surface area burned, inhalation injury, intubation, ventilator days, toxicology, fluid volumes, surgeries and complications. Main findingsEighteen current study patients (88.9% male) were compared to twenty-nine (86.2% male) previous study patients. The groups were similar in age, pattern of burn injury and intubation. Total body surface area burned, injury severity score, inhalation injuries, and ventilator days were not significantly increased in the current study. Longer length of stay and greater hospital charges were incurred by the current group. Burn surgeries per patient were significantly increased in the current group. Principal conclusionsA new one-pot method has emerged despite legislative attempts to curtail methamphetamine production, and burns have also increased. The reason for more extensive burn surgeries in the current METH related burn patients remains enigmatic. Severity of injury and cost to society remain high.

Methamphetamine laboratory-related burns in Western Australia – Why the explosion?

Introduction With increasing numbers of illicit drug users in both urban and rural communities, users and producers are becoming increasingly enterprising in their sourcing of mind altering drugs. An example of this is the ‘amateur’ production of methamphetamine in domestic dwellings. We describe the mechanism of burn seen in methamphetamine production, the pattern of clinical injury, and the difficulties in treating these patients. Methods A 12 month retrospective study of five patient groups presenting to our burn service with injuries following methamphetamine laboratory explosion. Results Out of five patient groups we have treated 9 individual patients (with one patient presenting on two different occasions) with burns following methamphetamine laboratory explosion. All patients were male and required hospital admission. The cause of the explosive injury was initially reported as barbeque or oven related, assault, or accident in all patients. Two patients (in separate events) required intubation for associated inhalation injury. Burn size varied from 1% to 40% BSA. 7 patients required surgical debridement and skin grafting. Injury type was thermal and chemical. All patients had difficult follow-up due to low levels of clinic attendance. Conclusion Methamphetamine laboratory explosion burns are difficult injuries from the start. Invariably the true circumstances surrounding the injury are not clear, and clinicians should be suspicious of a meth lab explosion in suspect individuals with burns plus airway injury. Patient management is complex and often requires substantial analgesic and anxiolytic medication in conjunction with clinical psychology and psychiatry as an inpatient.

Need For Methamphetamine Programming in Extension Education

The study reported sought to identify the prevention education needs involving methamphetamine through survey methodology. The study focused on a random sample of U.S. states and the Extension Directors within each state, resulting in a 70% response rate (n = 134). Findings revealed that 11% reported they had received methamphetamine user prevention training and 23% had received safety training. Overall, perceived knowledge is low regarding methamphetamine production signs, use, state and federal laws, prevention resources, and identification of methamphetamine education resources. Yet perceived importance of the same topics is high, supporting the need for increased methamphetamine programming.

Hazards of illicit methamphetamine production and efforts at reduction: data from the hazardous substances emergency events surveillance system.

Methamphetamine (meth) is a highly addictive drug of abuse that can easily be made in small illegal laboratories from household chemicals that are highly toxic and dangerous. Meth labs have been found in locations such as homes, outbuildings, motels, and cars. Its production endangers the "cook," neighbors, responders, and the environment. This article describes surveillance data used to examine the emergence and public health impacts of illicit clandestine meth labs, as well as two states' efforts to thwart lab operations and prevent responder injuries. We analyzed data collected from 2001 to 2008 by 18 states participating in the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) Program to examine the occurrence and public health impacts of clandestine meth production. HSEES data indicate that the majority of clandestine meth lab events occurred in residential areas. About 15% of meth lab events required evacuation. Nearly one-fourth of these events resulted in injuries, with 902 reported victims. Most victims (61%) were official responders, and one-third were members of the general public. Since 2004, with the implementation of local and federal laws and prevention activities, the number of meth lab events has declined. Increased education and training of first responders has led to decreased injuries among police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel. HSEES data provided a good data source for monitoring the emergence of domestic clandestine meth production, the associated public health effects, and the results of state and federal efforts to promote actions to address the problem.

Are methamphetamine precursor control laws effective tools to fight the methamphetamine epidemic?

One of the most notable trends in illegal substance use among Americans over the past decade is the dramatic growth and spread of methamphetamine use. In response to the dramatic rise in methamphetamine use and its associated burden, a broad range of legislations has been passed to combat the problem. In this paper, we assess the impact of retail-level laws intended to restrict chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine (methamphetamine precursor laws) in reducing indicators of domestic production, methamphetamine availability, and the consequences of methamphetamine use. Specifically, we examine trends in these indicators of methamphetamine supply and use over a period spanning the implementation of the federal Methamphetamine Anti-Proliferation Act (MAPA) (October 2000) and a more stringent state-level restriction enacted in California (January 2000). The results are mixed in terms of the effectiveness of legislative efforts to control methamphetamine production and use, depending on the strength of the legislation (California Uniform Controlled Substances Act versus federal MAPA), the specification of the comparison group, and the particular outcome of interest. Some evidence suggests that domestic production was impacted by these legislative efforts, but there is also evidence that prices fell, purities rose, and treatment episodes increased.

The Crisis Of Methamphetamine And Its Management: Preparation, Participation, And Prevention

There is a drug crisis in the United States that is growing at an alarming rate. Its participants work in our businesses, government agencies, and schools. California leads the nation in drug use and until recently, Fresno County was the leader in methamphetamine production. This drug crisis is having a paralyzing effect causing loss of income, dysfunctional families, poverty, child abuse, increase in crime and death. California’s Governor Schwarzenegger has supported various preventative initiatives and eradicating measures; however, the methamphetamine problem is well entrenched and keeps appearing in unsuspecting areas. This paper addressed how and where methamphetamine is produced, who participates in its use, ethical issues and decision making, and how we may prevent it from spreading.

Methamphetamine: a European Union perspective in the global context

This publication is the first in a series dedicated to prevalent illicit synthetic stimulant drugs, also known as amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS). The ATS category is made up of two groups of substances. This study focuses on the supply and use of methamphetamine in Europe, set in a global context. Methamphetamine is probably the most widely consumed synthetic stimulant in the world. In many countries across the globe it is reportedly the second most prevalent illicit drug after cannabis. Table of contents: Introduction Methamphetamine: The global context â?¢ Historical background â?¢ Global methamphetamine production â?¢ The methamphetamine precursors Methamphetamine issues in the European context â?¢ Problem methamphetamine use â?¢ Methamphetamine production â?¢ Trafficking in methamphetamine and its precursors European and international initiatives Conclusions

Targeting the Local: Policing Clandestine Methamphetamine Production in a Rural US Community

AbstractIn the United States, state-based efforts to curtail the spread of methamphetamine (“meth”) have targeted domestic producers through heightened regulation of precursor chemicals used in the clandestine meth-production process. This article examines the impact of these efforts on the exercise of police power in a rural community affected by methamphetamine. As the author shows, the targeting of local meth production has incorporated residents of rural communities into the policing process by variously encouraging and requiring them to adopt a new way of perceiving the local landscape, centred around methamphetamine. Under the new legislation, previously benign objects such as cold medicine, batteries, and drain cleaner have been re-signified as objects with criminal potential that residents of rural communities are called upon to police. This has led to the expansion of police power within and beyond the formal domains of law enforcement. Through the targeting of local production, civic volunteers, pharmacists, retail clerks, natural resource officers, and others have been drawn into the policing of the meth problem. This reveals a key dynamic in the localization of police power: as police power is localized, the local is reimagined in terms of police power.