ISSUE NO. 5 The Ingredients Found in Crystal Meth Most drugs have some organic base to them, but crystal meth is made entirely from chemicals—and most of them are highly toxic. There are three primary ingredients in making crystal meth: •Pseudoephedrine OTHER INGREDIENTS NEEDED •Coleman Fuel This is the active ingredient in Sudafed. •Muriatic Acid •Iodine Crystals •Red Phosphorous •Acetone Made from the strike pad on a match book. •Methanol/Denatured Alcohol •Red Devil Lye Cutting is the process of adding ingredients to a drug to… 1) Create more product at less expense and 2) Weaken the potency of the batch. Certain Protease Inhibitors (PI) are used and designed to boost the effects of other Protease Inhibitors. Unfortunately, they also help boost the effects of other drugs that may be in your system. Substances used to “cut” meth: That is why medications like Ritonivair are sometimes used in the cutting process. As an example of the dangerous consequences of PI’s potential to boost the effects of recreational drugs: • Lithium Hydride (Battery Acid) In 1997 a man with AIDS who had been taking Ritonavir died suddenly after taking only two hits of ecstasy (x). But his blood level measured 4.6 mg of MDMA which is equal to 22 hits of X. • Freon TABLE OF WEIGHTS & MEASURES LINGO AMOUNT GOING RATE IN S.F. Quarter 1/4 gram $20 - $40 (0.01 ounce) Half Teenager 8-Ball (3.5 grams) Ounce 1.00 ounce 1/2 gram $40 - $80 (0.02 ounce) 1/16 ounce • Anhydrous Ammonia • Hydrochloric, Acetic and Sulfuric Acids • Benzyl Chloride • Lead, Mercuric Chloride • Prozac • Protease Inhibitors (HIV Meds) $120 • Ritalin $250 323-993-7448 E-mail: [email protected] • Laxatives Visit: www.lagaycenter.org/meth $1200 • Epsom Salts (1.8 grams) 1/8 ounce • Ether Call: ISSUE NO. 5, PAGE 2 Below is an illustration of a Meth Superlab and the process of “cooking” meth. Due to the governmental regulations places on a lot of the substances used to make meth, much of the product is now being made outside the country in these superlabs . Note: Some of the ingredients listed above were taken from a website that taught the reader how to make Crystal Meth, for obvious reasons that resource will not be listed here. Many of the ingredients listed are not easily obtained and are regulated by government agencies and requires the supplier to report when these ingredients are purchased. What was interesting about this site was that not only did it tell you how to produce meth it also instructed you on how to acquire these ingredients without raising suspicion and avoid the purchase from being reported. Information compiled from www.tweaker.org, Methamphetamine: The Epidemic and It’s Impact (Pacific Southwest Addiction Technology Transfer Center UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, 2005) NEXT WEEK’S TOPIC: HOW METH IS TAKEN 323-993-7448 E-mail: [email protected] Visit: www.lagaycenter.org/meth Call: The Meth Memo is a series of memos designed to educate individuals about Crystal Meth. Developed by Mike Rizzo. Funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the County of Los Angeles, Department of Public Health, Office of AIDS Programs and Policy.