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Methamphetamine in the United States is regulated under Schedule II of the Controlled Substances Act. It is approved for pharmacological use in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, narcolepsy, and treatment-resistant obesity, but it is primarily used as a recreational drug. In 2012, 16,000 prescriptions for methamphetamine were filled, approximately 1.2 million Americans reported using it in the past year, and 440,000 reported using the drug in the past month.[2]
Until the 1980s, the methamphetamine market in the United States was dominated by outlaw motorcycle gangs, namely the Hells Angels.[3][4][5][6][7] Before the late 2000s, much of the methamphetamine consumed in the US was manufactured domestically by amateur chemists in meth labs. They manufactured it from common household drugs and chemicals such as lye, lithium, and ammonia.
But after the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 went into effect in 2006, the Drug Enforcement Administration reported a sharp decline in domestic methamphetamine production and consumption.[8] As a result, the amount of methamphetamine seized, the amount of domestic drug labs shut down, and the number of associated deaths and emergency room visits also declined.[9]
However, since then, drug cartels have become the dominant producer of methamphetamine consumed in the US. They manufacture the product in clandestine facilities in Mexico and smuggle it across the border into the country. Deaths linked to methamphetamine overdoses quadrupled between 2011 and 2017.[10][11] As of 2020[update], there are nine cartels involved in this process, with the Sinaloa Cartel being the dominant and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel coming in second.[12]
In 2020, the U.S. state of Oregon decriminalized small amounts of methamphetamine.[13]
^The Gazette Staff (6 October 2009). "Anhydrous ammonia tank locks have flaws". Cedar Rapids Gazette.
^Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality (September 2013). "Results from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings" (PDF). Rockville, Maryland, USA: US Department of Health & Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
^Speed Demons Time (April 2, 1984) Archived May 4, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
^Five-state sweep produces arrests of 32 Hells Angels Ray Means, United Press International (November 11, 1987) Archived November 3, 2022, at archive.today
^Outlaw bike gangs on rise Tampa Bay Times (September 24, 1991) Archived August 1, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
^Look Homeward Angel: Cycle Icon Sonny Barger Kick-Starts Life As A Free Man By Violating Parole Philip Martin, Phoenix New Times (December 2, 1992) Archived November 13, 2022, at archive.today
^'I Don't Know That I Would Even Call It Meth Anymore' Sam Quinones, The Atlantic (October 18, 2021) Archived October 18, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
^Newman, Katelyn (18 August 2022), Breaking Back to Meth?, US News (published 12 March 2019)
^2019 National Emerging Threats Report(PDF), 10th Annual Drug Abuse Symposium: Office of the Indiana Attorney General, 18 August 2022{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
^"Meth Overdose: Signs, Symptoms, and How to Help".
^"Overdose Death Rates". 29 January 2021.
^"2020 National Drug Threat Assessment Summary" (PDF). Drug Enforcement Administration. United States Department of Justice: Drug Enforcement Administration. March 2021. p. 68. Retrieved 18 Aug 2022. The Sinaloa Cartel maintains the widest national influence, with its most dominant positions along the West Coast, in the Midwest, and in the Northeast. The CJNG continues to be the Mexican TCO with second-most widespread domestic influence
^"U.S Decriminalizes Small Amounts of Heroin, Meth, Cocaine, Legalizes Magic Mushrooms for Therapy". Forbes.
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