Meth addiction is a national problem. Methamphetamine is a central nervous system stimulant drug that is similar in structure to amphetamine. Due to its high potential for abuse, methamphetamine is classified as a Schedule II drug and is available only through a prescription that cannot be refilled. Although methamphetamine can be prescribed by a doctor, its medical uses are limited, and the doses that are prescribed are much lower than those typically abused. Most of the methamphetamine abused in this country comes from foreign or domestic superlabs, although it can also be made in small, illegal laboratories, where its production endangers the people in the labs, neighbors, and the environment.
As if the known dangers are not enough, now there is this news:
From Thespec.com:
Canadian scientists say there’s a link between the abuse of methamphetamines and the development of Parkinson’s disease.
Researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto used medical records for more than 40,000 people in California who had been hospitalized for abusing meth- or amphetamine-like stimulants from 1990 to 2005.
They were compared to records for more than 200,000 people admitted for appendicitis, and more than 35,000 diagnosed with cocaine use disorders. A diagnosis of Parkinson’s was identified from hospital records or death certificates.
The study found that the methamphetamine group had a 76 per cent higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
Here is the source: http://www.thespec.com/living/healthfitness/article/569352--meth-users-have-greater-risk-of-developing-parkinson-s
