The aim of the report is to make people aware of the effects Crystal Methamphetamine can have an individual’s life. The main problem this report is focusing on, will be relationships. The effect of relationships, whilst on Crystal Methamphetamine, is extremely important to society as it has an impact on everyone, whether they are young or old. If a person uses the drug, it could make them become abusive or violent to anyone, or even make the user shut out people because they have lost a lot of weight, are aggressive, have seizures and many more. These unfortunate consequences of using Crystal Methamphetamine can create the user to become uncomfortable or possibly worsen the impact on themselves. Crystal Methamphetamine is a harmful drug that must be discussed to prevent further misuse in society, hence it is essential to gain knowledge about.

Crystal Methamphetamine is a central nervous system stimulant that can occasionally be prescribed for narcolepsy, obesity and ADHD. The drug is a stimulant that is carefully controlled if it is to be used for those purposes. It commonly makes a person feel energetic, happy, awake and excited for no particular reason. Although Crystal Methamphetamine can make a person happy and energetic, there are downsides that affect the user’s mental, social and physical state. These include suicidal thoughts, feeling of bugs under your skin, brain cell damage, heart problems, and addiction.

The raw materials in Crystal Methamphetamine are Ephedrine or Pseudoephedrine, Iodine, Red Phosphorus, Anhydrous Ammonia, Drano or Battery Acid, Caustic Soda and, Hydrogen Chloride.
Iodine and Red Phosphorus are added into low heat to the pure Pseudoephedrine, which is used to create Methamphetamine but the overall outcome is too acidic. The mixture ends up going through a filtration process where all the red phosphorus is filtered out. Caustic Soda then is added to the mixture. It is added to neutralize the acidity of the Methamphetamine. Caustic Soda creates a large amount of heat. The liquid Methamphetamine goes through a separation process and then is finally added to the Hydrogen Chloride which turns it into a salt. This also decreases the levels of acidity of the Methamphetamine. Before the reaching the final product, it must be filtered and then dried.



Structure

N-methyl-1-phenyl-propan-2-amine
Methamphetamine contains a variety of bonds in the structure. Including:
  • Methyl- A carbon methyl found at the end of the amine (NH)
  • Phenyl- Found at the start of the propyl chain, can also be described as an aromatic ring
  • Propyl- Propyl chain which makes up the main chain of the compound
  • Amine- the NH discovered at the second carbon in the propyl chain, it makes up the compound into an amine.
Crystal Methamphetamine has a melting point of 170-175 degrees Celsius, as well as a boiling point of 215 degrees Celsius. It is soluble in Ethanol and Diethyl Ether, and also mixes well with Chloroform. Methamphetamine has a molecular weight of 149.233 g/mol (grams per mole). Its molecular formula is known as C10H15N. The drug looks like shredded ice or broken up crystal pieces, which is why the drug is occasionally called “Ice” or “Shard” instead of Crystal Methamphetamine. 

Figure 1

Figure 2

Crystal Methamphetamine has many different ways of being taken, including: snorted, smoked, anally, injection and also eaten. No matter which way the drug is taken, it can still easily enter the bloodstream.

When Crystal Methamphetamine is being snorted through the nostrils, it can decrease the risk of sharing an infectious disease like HIV, AIDS, or even Hepatitis. Snorting can cause serious damage to the nose and sinus cavities. It can create a stuffy nose and could possibly cause nosebleeds, although in some cases it can cause damage to the cartilage or lining of the nose, and in quite extreme cases, it can create a hole in your nose, varying in size.

Crystal Methamphetamine can be smoked using a glass pipe that has been heated. If it’s being taken by smoking, the fumes of the drug goes into the lungs and blood vessels, and is then transported to the brain. Smoking Crystal Methamphetamine can cause much damage to the mouth as well damaging the lungs.

Crystal Methamphetamine is a type of drug that can also be swallowed, whether it’s taken as a pill, liquid, rubbed over the gums or even baked in cakes and foods. When it is taken orally, it is digested and then starts to transport into the bloodstream. If the user happens to swallow the drugs contained in a drink or food, then it could result to a sore mouth or throat. Although they may get a less amount of self-control over how much they have consumed, it causes less damage compared to taking drugs in other types of ways.

When Crystal Methamphetamine is transported into the body anally, it can be inserted using the powder on fingers to dab or rub onto the mucous skin of the anus. From here, it enters the bloodstream and is transported to the brain. By dabbing the area, it can create severe risks of the drug burning the anal lining, as there is no water being dissolved within the substance. Rubbing Crystal Methamphetamine into the system can cause the feeling of numbness of the area and also could cause irritation. If the area gets irritated, it can make it much easier to let different types of infections to pass through that certain area of the body and could also cause bleeding and inflammation. Another way of anally administering the substance, is to use the liquid form, even if that means adding water to powder, and placing it inside a syringe without a needle, it is then inserted and ejected into the rectum. 

Another way of taking Crystal Methamphetamine is to inject it into the veins or into the muscles. When Crystal Methamphetamine is injected into the human body, it goes to the bloodstream straight away and then reaches the brain quickly. Injecting Crystal Methamphetamine causes an increased risk of having an addiction or overdose. If a needle has been shared around it can cause HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, or infections in the skin. In the worse cases, it can cause life-threatening infections of the heart or the blood. The main risks of these are included with blood clots which are life-threatening, collapsed veins, bacteria and also other viruses getting inside of the body, which usually comes from a shared and/or dirty part of the injection equipment used.

Crystal Methamphetamine is a strong drug, which is worked by taking control over how the brain works. The body has many functions, which are sped up by the drug. When Methamphetamine is taken, it can lead to dangerous situations. These include; sleep, paranoia, aggressiveness and, hallucinations. Every place on the body the user has used Crystal Methamphetamine always ends up in the bloodstream, which is then taken to the brain. When the Methamphetamine is close to a neuron, it causes the neuron to release quite a lot of dopamine, which soon leads to the user to feel pleasure throughout the day. Eventually it will disappear. Once the feeling of pleasure is gone, it is followed by unpleasant feelings, which is basically no feelings of pleasure from anything. Crystal Methamphetamine also affects Serotonin and Norepinephrine levels, which can change how a lot of the body and brain work. Small amounts of the drug can cause the user to become more awake, higher blood pressure, faster heart beats, and a loss in appetite. If the drug is taken for longer periods of time, it damages the users Dopamine neurons as well and their neuron scontaining Serotonin, occasionally this happens after the user has stopped taking the substance. Longer use of the drug may cause permanent damage to the blood vessels in the brain, hence why strokes are common in this case (bleeding in the brain).

Relationships of work colleagues, friends, family, and the user themselves are all affected; it allows a user to have the choice to choose the drug over their relationships with those they love, which can make the user become more dependent on the drug. There are many stories of how a user can form a relationship with another user of the drug but in most cases, unfortunately sooner or later, the connection of the relationship cuts off. Crystal Methamphetamine causes the user to talk to themselves, become agitated, a “different person” and aggressive. Those who surround themselves with a user before the drugs were taken, will notice the change in personalities, mental state, and physical state. These changes can cause the person to get many disorders. These include; depressive disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance abuse, anxiety disorder, alcoholism, and stimulant abuse. If a user (most likely) experiences these disorders in their lifestyle, they could suffer from job loss, domestic violence, financial problems, divorce, comas, crucial malnutrition, suicidal behavior, legal problems, and worst of all, death.  These common effects of Crystal Methamphetamine cause relationship problems.

As mentioned above in the report, Crystal Methamphetamine does affect the brain, which is what causes situations like hallucination, paranoia, aggressiveness and sleep. The drug also affects the user’s relationships with those around them. The user’s commonly shut others out, become violent towards others, or could start financial problems from the addiction to the drug. These effects usually cause the user’s partner to feel unsafe, upset, and scared. The user’s partner has the choice to leave the user, which occasionally happens, as they fear for their lives, or the state the user is in. If the user’s partner leaves the user, it might show the user how it is affecting them, or it could just make them more suicidal or even more addicted, as they may think that is the best answer for the situation. Overall Crystal Methamphetamine does have an effect on the brain and therefore relationships.

Public education piece

My public education piece is a presentation to advise the general public of the information learned during this research assignment.

References

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