The High Prevalence Of Methamphetamine Addiction In California

Methamphetamine has become one of the most severe forms of drug addiction in the state of California in recent years. An interesting aspect of methamphetamine addiction in California is that it has been one of the fastest growing forms of drug addiction in the state. The drug was virtually absent from the scene of drug addiction in this state in the nineties, but the turn of the millennium saw the drug being used in the state in a large way. Today, a large number of youth aged between 18 and 25 years of age are reeling under this form of addiction. This is what is making the problem more serious. The biggest share of victims of this form of drug addiction in the state are youngsters who get hooked to the substance very fast and due to its heavily addictive nature find it very difficult to come out of the dependency.

Here we see some details on the prevalence of methamphetamine addiction in California and check out some trends of the same.

The Sources of Methamphetamine Addiction in California

The primary source of methamphetamine addiction in California, as in the rest of the US, is Mexico. Most of the drug comes in from the Mexican suppliers who provide some of the best quality of the substance. The drug is brought in from various Mexican drug traffickers which work in tandem with various organizations. A major share of methamphetamine is brought in by chain motorcycle gangs in the state. The other source of methamphetamine is through Caucasian immigrants who bring in small amounts of the substance in the state which nonetheless is a significant amount when the entire share of methamphetamine addiction in the state is considered.

One more very important source of methamphetamine addiction in the state is through local production. This happens through the various meth labs that are set up in various areas of the state. The largest number of these meth labs are found in the south of the state, close to the Mexican border. These labs produce methamphetamine and its purer version, crystal meth, also known locally as ice, from crude materials such as cough syrups containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine and antifreeze.

Most of the methamphetamine that is locally produced in California is found in the sylvan areas of northern California, the desert areas across the state and various regions in the Central Valley of the state. This is definitely bringing in a significant amount of the substance in the state, making it a big problem.

In recent times, more sources of methamphetamine are being exposed. There are some methamphetamine products that are being sourced from as far as China. The major users of methamphetamine are observed in the densely populated areas of the state, even though the sources are in the most sparse and remote areas of the state.

Methamphetamine Addiction in California - A Youth Problem

One of the main issues that are connected with methamphetamine addiction in California is that it is a youth problem. The main reason behind this lies in the fact that the substance is mostly locally distributed in places where young people frequent such as the night clubs and the rave party areas. The drug is a big hit in such areas because it is freely available, not much expensive and is known for producing a very quickly intoxicating effect to the user. Due to these reasons, the major clientele of this substance is between 18 and 25 years of age.

There is a connected problem with the methamphetamine usage for young people in the state. The drug has a slightly aphrodisiacal effect. Though this increases the appeal of the drug, it also induces the youth to indulge in some kings of illegal sexual activities. This is compounded by the fact that the drug is always used in a group. Put together, all these facts are responsible for increasing the HIV risk among the users of this substance.

Methamphetamine Addiction Treatment in California

Areas such as Fresno, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose have various centers that are specially designed for providing meth treatment. Considering the fact that most of the people who are in this type of addiction are youngsters, the centers are designed to look after the needs of the young patients.

The methods employed in the treatment process are the same as in other forms of addiction, but considering that this is a very strong form of addiction, the methods used are stringent. The detox phase, for example, is much longer than the detox phase used in other forms of addiction treatment.

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