The definitive book on the impact of methamphetamine on individuals, communities, and society by two of America's leading addiction and criminal justice experts. In recent years, the media have inundated us with coverage of the horrors that befall methamphetamine users, and the fires, explosions, and toxic waste created by meth labs that threaten the well-being of innocent people. In Methamphetamine: Its History, Pharmacology, and Treatment, the first book in Hazelden's Library of Addictive Drugs series, Ralph Weisheit and William L. White examine the nature and extent of meth use in the United States, from meth's early reputation as a "wonder drug" to the current perception that it is a "scourge" of society.In separating fact from fiction, Weisheit and White provide context for understanding the meth problem by tracing its history and the varying patterns of use over time, then offer an in-depth look at:the latest scientific findings on the drug's effects on individualsthe myths and realities of the drug's impact on the mindthe national and international implications of methamphetamine productionthe drug's impact on rural communities, including a case study of two counties in the Midwestissues in addiction and treatment of meth.Thoroughly researched and highly readable, Methamphetamine offers a comprehensive understanding of medical, social, and political issues concerning this highly impactful drug.Written for professionals and serious lay readers by nationally recognized experts, the books in the Library of Addictive Drugs series feature in-depth, comprehensive, and up-to-date information on the most commonly abused mood-altering substances.

Methamphetamine (meth) is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant drug that has limited medical uses. Today, meth can be made by anyone using easily obtainable household goods and consumer products. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), illicit meth used in the United States today is manufactured by Mexican drug-trafficking organisations in "super labs" located in Mexico and California, as well as by cooks in "small toxic labs" predominantly located in the central United States, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes and from the plains to the Appalachian Mountains. These labs pose significant public safety and health risks and financial burdens to local communities and states where they are found. The toxic chemicals and solvents involved in meth manufacturing can result in fiery explosions and expose property and people, including children, to contaminates that are dangerous and costly to remove. This book provides an overview on meth lab trends and ingredient control efforts relating to methamphetamine production.

Meth cooks practice late industrial alchemy—transforming base materials, like lithium batteries and camping fuel, into gold Meth alchemists all over the United States tap the occulted potencies of industrial chemical and big pharma products to try to cure the ills of precarious living: underemployment, insecurity, and the feeling of idleness. Meth fires up your attention and makes repetitive tasks pleasurable, whether it’s factory work or tinkering at home. Users are awake for days and feel exuberant and invincible. In one person’s words, they “get more life.” The Alchemy of Meth is a nonfiction storybook about St. Jude County, Missouri, a place in decomposition, where the toxic inheritance of deindustrialization meets the violent hope of this drug-making cottage industry. Jason Pine bases the book on fieldwork among meth cooks, recovery professionals, pastors, public defenders, narcotics agents, and pharmaceutical executives. Here, St. Jude is not reduced to its meth problem but Pine looks at meth through materials, landscapes, and institutions: the sprawling context that makes methlabs possible. The Alchemy of Meth connects DIY methlabs to big pharma’s superlabs, illicit speed to the legalized speed sold as ADHD medication, uniquely implicating the author’s own story in the narrative. By the end of the book, the backdrop of St. Jude becomes the foreground. It could be a story about life and work anywhere in the United States, where it seems no one is truly clean and all are complicit in the exploitation of their precious resources in exchange for a livable present—or even the hope of a future.

Methamphetamine (meth), a drug with limited medical use and high potential for abuse and addiction, is a subject of widespread concern. Once associated mainly with the West Coast and white, male, blue-collar workers, illicit meth is now used by diverse population groups nation-wide, with concentrations in the West, Southwest, and Midwest. Meth is supplied primarily by clandestine labs in California and Mexico. The drug is relatively simple to make from easily obtained recipes, but access to certain ingredients has become more difficult. Meth production in small, toxic labs (STLs) increased initially due to the successful closure of some "super-labs" (labs capable of making more than 10 pounds of meth in a 24-hour cycle), relative ease of making meth, continuing demand for the drug, and desire for potential wealth and involvement in a criminal underground social activity. Although the greater fraction of meth used and distributed across the nation comes from super-labs, the sheer number of STLs, their geographic diffusion, and their residual impacts have prompted concern across a wide spectrum of the country.

A New York Times Bestseller Winner of the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize Winner of the Hillman Prize for Book Journalism Named a best book of the year by: the Los Angeles Times the San Francisco Chronicle the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch the Chicago Tribune the Seattle Times "A stunning look at a problem that has dire consequences for our country.”-New York Post The dramatic story of Methamphetamine as it comes to the American Heartland-a timely, moving, account of one community's attempt to confront the epidemic and see their way to a brighter future. Crystal methamphetamine is widely considered to be the most dangerous drug in the world, and nowhere is that more true than in the small towns of the American heartland. Methland is the story of the drug as it infiltrates the community of Oelwein, Iowa (pop. 6,159), a once-thriving farming and railroad community. Tracing the connections between the lives touched by meth and the global forces that have set the stage for the epidemic, Methland offers a vital and unique perspective on a pressing contemporary tragedy. Oelwein, Iowa is like thousand of other small towns across the county. It has been left in the dust by the consolidation of the agricultural industry, a depressed local economy and an out-migration of people. If this wasn't enough to deal with, an incredibly cheap, long-lasting, and highly addictive drug has come to town, touching virtually everyone's lives. Journalist Nick Reding reported this story over a period of four years, and he brings us into the heart of the town through an ensemble cast of intimately drawn characters, including: Clay Hallburg, the town doctor, who fights meth even as he struggles with his own alcoholism; Nathan Lein, the town prosecutor, whose case load is filled almost exclusively with meth-related crime, and Jeff Rohrick, who is still trying to kick a meth habit after four years. Methland is a portrait of a community under siege, of the lives the drug has devastated, and of the heroes who continue to fight the war. It will appeal to readers of David Sheff's bestselling Beautiful Boy, and serve as inspiration for those who believe in the power of everyday people to change their world for the better.