One very simple definition of addiction is "the degree to which one can stop using a drug once regular use has been established.” Consider then the case of meth use by US troops in Vietnam. More amphetamines were used - and abused - by American soldiers in Vietnam in 1965-68 than by the combined Allied and Axis combatants in World War II. Concerned by the impact of drugs on combat readiness, then President Nixon commissioned a study. Its subjects included every US Army enlistee returning home from the war in the year 1971 - some 13,760 men. Of these 1,400 were found to have tested positive (by urinalysis) for either amphetamines, barbiturates or opiates. The director of the study, Dr. Lee Robbins of Washington University, then retested them eight to twelve months later. The results revealed that 92% were drug free - a fact that is even more remarkable when you consider the political climate of that time period -one in which returning vets received little in the way of welcome or empathy. As one vet recalled, "I was actually booed by junior high school students - It was enough to drive you to drink!" Maybe so, but not enough, apparently, to use drugs.

Myth #5: "Metamphetamine Is The Most Dangerous Drug This Nation Has Ever Seen!"
~~ Gen. Barry McCafferty (ret.), Drug Czar, Clinton Administration

It is evident that meth is far from the most dangerous drug especially when compared to nicotine, cocaine, heroin, and alcohol, all of which are physically addicting, and can and do kill whether from cancer, overdose, cirrhosis, or vehicular homicide. However, it certainly must be the most embarrassing drug especially if your job is to formulate something as important - or rather impotent - as US drug policy.

Interdiction of drugs, or any other substance, can be controlled in two ways: demand and supply. Despite the Herculean efforts of the US departments of Education, Health, and Justice to change the American public's attitude towards drugs, the demand for amphetamines, cocaine, and heroin increased throughout the Nineties. Harsh drug laws have failed miserably and are the primary reason why this country has more people per capita in prison than any other. Drug offenders account for nearly 60 percent of all federal inmates and almost a quarter of state prison populations.

We have also failed on the supply side as well. In regards to heroin and cocaine, the other members of the "Big Three" of controlled substances, our government can easily shift the blame to the third world countries that manufacture and distribute these drugs. Farmers there receive from two to eight times as much money to grow coca shrubs and opium poppies than they do from rice and beans. Little if anything is done by their respective governments because they are clandestinely "facilitating" the drug trade, which in all likelihood, represents the largest portion of the GNPs of Colombia, Bolivia and Peru as well as the Golden Triangle. Short of declaring war on half the countries in Southeast Asia and Latin America, there is little we can do in the realm or supply.

Then there's the meth. This drug does not require the cool mountain slopes of the Andes nor the rich soils of Thailand to flourish. It can be synthesized from Phenly-2-Propylene, a common chemical which the DEA via Congress finally managed to control in 1989 then discover to their horror they merely paved the way for an alternative recipe which yields the 'd' isomer of the methamphetamine molecule - several times stronger than the previous form. In addition to being more potent, its synthesis is accomplished via a "cold method" with only three primary ingredients: ephedrine, red phosphorous, and iodine crystals. Once again the DEA sought to control these precursors only to find that they can be easily extracted from over-the-counter cold remedies, matchbooks, and tincture of iodine, respectively.

In regards to meth, the War on Drugs is being fought exclusively at home. With the exception of rapidly declining Mexican import, this drug is produced, distributed, and consumed "by the people and for the people" of this country. There are no Noriegas, lack of extradition agreements or other jurisdictional scapegoats. If the government cannot win this war it has only itself or its constituents to blame.

So does all this mean meth is safe to do. Absolutely not. It is a potentially dangerous psychoactive substance which, if misused in the long term can lead to heart attack, stroke and in extreme cases - death. It should be researched and respected. Long-term high-dose use has been proven to be the cause of irreversible depression in users of the now almost extinct 'dl' isomer of the drug. In addition, recent studies have discovered a correlation between axon/dendrite damage of nerve cells due to use of the drug and damage done to the cells of victims of Parkinson's Disease. The drug, however, can be used safely in moderation (limited dose, non-intravenous, non-continuous) to effectively prevent fatigue, lose small amounts of weight, as well as enhance sexual pleasure. Research its effects. Consider the sources. Learn the truth.

Just Say - Know

"Nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced. It is an open secret that the dangerous increase of crime in this country is closely connected with this."
~~ Albert Einstein, "My First Impression of the USA" (1921).

Endnotes:

[1] Table 2.14 "Percentage Distribution of Drug Mentions by Cause of Death." Annual Medical Examiner Data. 1999. Drug Abuse Warning Network, Substance & Mental Health Services Administration. US Department of Health.

[2] Kalant, H. and Oriana J. Kalant. "Death in Amphetamine Users: Causes and Rates." Canadian Medical Association Journal. 1975.

[3] "Amphetamine Dependence", The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, Section 15. Ch. 195. Drug Use and Dependence, Merck & Co. Inc.

[4] Art Kuning interview with Allen Ginsberg. Los Angeles Free Press. December 1965.

[5] Donnie R. Marshall, Acting Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration Senate Judiciary Committee. United States Senate. 28 July 1999.

[6] Dan Lungren, "Methamphetamine: The Triple-Headed Monster." The Coastal Post. April 1998.

[7] Dan Lungren, "Methamphetamine: The Triple-Headed Monster." The Coastal Post. April 1998.

[8] Bill Romano, "Justice Department Report Contradicts Common Perception." San Jose Mercury News. 5 May 1999.