According to the National Public Radio Methamphetamine (or meth) has reached all corners of the country, moving from rural areas to cities and suburbs. Television stories have reported on mobile meth labs parked across the street from schools. You may live in a "nice" neighborhood, but there may be meth labs in your neighborhood. Your kids are the pusher's target. While some kids know about the dangers of meth, others don't know what it can do to their bodies. If you haven't talked to your kids about meth do it today. Even if you're talked to them, share these facts with your kids and grandkids.
Meth is made from toxic stuff: paint solvent, engine starter, gasoline additive, brake cleaner, cement cleaner, drain cleaner, battery chemicals, to name a few. (Sources: "NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards" and Centers for Disease Control); One-time meth use may cause instant addiction. (Source: US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration); Meth causes permanent damage to the blood vessels in the brain; It makes you stupid. (Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse)
The chemicals in meth rot teeth and turn them into black stubs, a condition called "meth mouth." Eventually your teeth fall out. (Source: "Meth Mouth, The Oral Plague," ARIZONA DAILY STAR); Meth causes a dangerous surge in blood pressure and heart rate. (Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse); Meth use also causes dangerously high fever (as high as 110 degrees) and may lead to convulsions. (Sources: Minnesota Department of Health); Long-term meth use can lead to stroke. (Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse)
Meth makes you so jittery you can't sleep. Soon you're tired all the time, not a good match for learning or sports; chronic meth use makes you anxious, depressed, and paranoid; Long-term meth use can cause permanent psychological damage. (Source: US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration); Chronic users think "crank bugs" are crawling under their skin, so they pick at their skin and scratch constantly, causing ugly red sores; Meth users smell like chemicals or cat urine. (Source: Idaho Department of Health); Continued usage of these drugs will result in extreme anorexia and makes you look like a walking skeleton.