Meth: What you need to Know
Methamphetamine is a dangerous drug that can cause serious damage to the brain, skin, and teeth, and has significant addictive qualities that hold users captive. Here’s what you need to know about meth.
Methamphetamine hydrochloride (also known by “street” names like crank, crystal, glass, ice, meth, rock candy or speed) is a powder that varies in color from white to light brown. It can also look like crystal or ice. Meth can be used by smoking or snorting the powder, injecting it with a needle, or ingesting orally.
There are five stages to meth intoxication. First is “the rush,” where a flood of dopamine rushes to the brain and intensifies the senses. The second stage is the high from meth, which lasts for up to 14 hours, where the user becomes hyperactive, exhibits aggressive or compulsive behavior, confusion, and the inability to form coherent sentences.
The third stage is binging on meth, where users continue to use meth for several days to avoid crashing. This often involves avoiding food until the fourth stage, the crash, occurs. This stage is characterized by extreme exhaustion and prolonged periods of sleeping.
The final and most dangerous stage is called tweaking, where the user becomes paranoid, frustrated, unstable, unpredictable, and even develop a meth psychosis. Cravings for more meth are intense, but the effects aren’t as strong due to overuse. This keeps users going back for more.
Several factors impact the detection time for meth: how the drug was administered, if used with other drugs and/or alcohol, the frequency of use, and the age and health of the user.
Meth can be detected in a urine sample as early as 2 hours after use and up to 5 days after the last use. In blood, detection ranges 1 hour to 3 days. Saliva has the earliest detection at 10 minutes and can still detect at 4 days post-use. Hair has the longest detection time at up to 90 days post-use.
As an employer, you have the legal right to test all your employees before hire and at any time during employment if you have reasonable suspicion that they are using meth. If you, other supervisors, or employees notice changes in an employee, take action immediately through Nationwide Drug Testing Services. We offer affordable and reliable tests with quick results and convenient testing locations.
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