The main thing about P2P meth is that there's so much of it (2022)
5 hours ago
- #public-health
- #drug-policy
- #methamphetamine
- P2P meth synthesis replaced ephedrine-based meth production in the US between 2009 and 2012 due to regulatory bans on pseudoephedrine.
- P2P meth initially produced a mix of d-meth and l-meth isomers, but modern street meth is now nearly pure d-meth (around 95% on average), with high purity levels.
- The shift to P2P meth has led to a significant increase in meth availability, as evidenced by rising border seizures, sewage measurements, usage surveys (especially heavy users tripling from 2015 to 2019), lower prices, and skyrocketing overdose deaths.
- Claims that P2P meth causes schizophrenia or 'madness' due to chemical differences or contaminants (like lead acetate) are unsupported by data, as reports of such effects don't correlate with synthesis method changes or impurity timelines.
- Meth usage and overdoses have surged, with users consuming doses roughly 15 times higher than typical ADHD medications, contributing to a public health crisis comparable to car accident fatalities.