Meth Use is Surging in Communities Already Struggling With Opioid Crisis

Methamphetamine use is surging in communities around the country that are already struggling with the opioid crisis, NPR reports.

Addiction to meth is more difficult to treat than opioid addiction, the article notes. Experts tell NPR that local officials and law enforcement do not have the staff or funding to handle the growing meth problem.
Much of the meth now used in the United States comes from Mexico, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “Trafficking and usage trends in places like Ohio are on the rise,” said Cheryl Davis, a special agent and a spokesperson for the DEA.

Meth use can lead to troubling, violent behavior, according to Andy Chambers, an addiction psychiatrist and researcher at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. “You can develop dangerous psychotic episodes that can look like schizophrenia,” he said. “The psychosis can get dangerously paranoid — hearing stuff, feeling like they’re being pursued.”