Meth 2.0: A powerful new drug spreads in the US that kills faster than opioids

The new methamphetamine, stronger and cheaper than previous versions, is called Meth 2.0 and has already taken hold of the United States.

Фото: Depositphotos

As the US opioid epidemic began to show signs of abating, a purer version of methamphetamine emerged - and quickly established its place as the drug of choice for Americans, writes The Daily Mail with reference to law enforcement.

According to authorities, the Mexican super-laboratories controlled by cartels are to blame. They are now producing 90% methamphetamine, which is used in the United States. The drug is becoming more powerful, cheaper and more affordable than ever before.

"It's very similar to the TV show Breaking Bad," says Tim Lohmar, prosecutor for St. Charles County, Missouri.

According to the plot of the series, chemistry teacher Walter White establishes an illegal empire of methamphetamines to save his family from financial collapse. White uses his knowledge to produce a particularly powerful and clean version of meth.

“If you're familiar with the show, you know that meth's purity and ease of mass production are what make it so addictive and relatively cheap,” Lohmar says.

“These Mexican laboratories produce very pure methamphetamine,” the prosecutor said. “They’re not like old-fashioned basement labs, like night and day.”

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Missouri was once considered the capital of methamphetamine production in the United States. Lomar says fame now relates more to cartels because of the effectiveness of their illegal operations.

“They can mass produce methamphetamine and distribute it at a reduced price, which consequently leads to increased local consumption,” he said.

In an effort to earn more from selling drugs, traffickers usually dilute methamphetamine with dangerous additives. These include metallic lithium, hydrochloric and sulfuric acids, as well as red phosphorus, according to the American Addiction Centers, the largest network of rehabilitation institutions in the country.

But methamphetamines from Mexico are distributed in their pure form.

“Methamphetamine selected through the DEA's profiling program is nearly 97% pure while prices remain low and stable,” adds William Callahan, Special Agent in Charge of the St. Louis Division of Narcotics Enforcement.

The state still has several small laboratories, but the vast majority of methamphetamines entering Missouri come from places south of the border, The Fix reports.

The surge in methamphetamine-related mortality in the past two years has been stronger than the increase in mortality from opioids 20 years ago when the crisis began. During the first decade, an overdose death rate increased from an 3400 in 1999 to 13 500 in 2009 during the first decade, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, the death toll from Meth 2.0 immediately became higher due to the cheaper and more powerful imported version. Overdose mortality increased from 2600 in 2012 to 10300 in 2017, USA Today reports.

But methamphetamine users are less likely to die from an overdose than people who are addicted to painkillers. More often, drug addicts begin to die a slow death, losing weight, suffering from painful ulcers on the body, in addition to emotional and mental problems.

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Specialists in drug treatment claim that besides purity, methamphetamine bypasses other drugs at a price that in some areas is only 20 dollars per gram.

Once a person is hooked, it becomes very difficult to resist drug addiction.

Recovering drug addict Erica Haas calls this condition “craving.” When she was 24, the North Carolina resident was prescribed OxyContin by her doctor for back pain. From this drug she quickly moved on to heroin and then methamphetamines. Now 30, Erica says she has been addicted to methamphetamine for more than 5 years.

“It’s like God is telling you that if you take another breath, your children will die,” the woman admitted, barely holding back tears. - You do everything possible not to breathe. But eventually you breathe in. This is what it looks like. Your brain is just screaming."

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