Check it Out: • 1 LB of METH = 5 LBS of   TOXIC WASTE • In 2004 alone, there were more   than 10,000 meth lab cleanups   at a cost of $18.6 million (Source: DEA, NIDA, NIH, USDHHS)

Other Drug Information: Alcohol Cocaine Ecstasy Fentanyl Hallucinogens Heroin Inhalants LSD Marijuana Prescription Drugs Steroids

The Many Faces of Meth: Before After

(Source: Multnomah County Sheriff's Office - Faces of Meth™)

More Methamphetamine Users Addicted, Report Says

Methamphetamine use rates have not increased in recent years, but more meth users are dependent on the drug, according to research from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The recently released 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that the percentage of the nation's estimated 600,000 monthly meth users who met the criteria for dependence rose from 27.5 percent (164,000) in 2002 to 59.3 percent (346,000) in 2004.

"Methamphetamine is undeniably a uniquely destructive drug," said SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie. "While rates of use have remained relatively stable over the past few years, these new findings show that an increasing proportion of methamphetamine users are developing problems of drug abuse and dependence and are in need of treatment."

New users of methamphetamine also remained steady at about 318,000 in 2004, SAMHSA said.