Meth Popularity Rebounds

(Summer 2018) The latest Quest Diagnostic Drug Testing Index™uncovered a significant jump in positive drug tests for methamphetamine within the American workforce. As it regains a foothold, experts warn that meth is purer, less expensive and more lethal than before.

In the early 2000s, U.S. meth production relied on pseudoephedrine, a decongestant. Congress enacted the Combat Methamphetamine Act in 2005 that more closely monitored pseudoephedrine sales. The drug’s production declined within the United States and, as a result, Mexican drug cartels increased meth output. Border agents are blocking up to 20 times as much meth as they seized 10 years ago. Meth is so abundant and cheap that dealers are even offering the drug on credit.

Due to the devastation caused by opioids, the surge in meth use remains largely unconfronted. Unlike opioids, an antidote for meth overdoses has not been developed, and at this time no medication-assisted therapy exists to combat meth addiction.

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