Prevention Priorities - Methamphetamine

Overview

Methamphetamine is a powerful stimulant that is chemically similar to amphetamine. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2017), methamphetamine most commonly comes in the form of a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily dissolves in water or alcohol. Methamphetamine is often taken orally, smoked, snorted, dissolved in water or alcohol, or injected.

Data

Iowa youth continue to report using methamphetamine at rates near zero (1% or less state wide for all grades on the last several Iowa Youth Surveys).
Adults aged 25 to 44 continue to have the highest rates of methamphetamine-related treatment admissions (Iowa Substance Use Brief, 2019).
Psychostimulant-involved deaths in Iowa increased from 45 deaths in 2013 to 157 in 2019 (Iowa Public Health Tracking Portal, 2019).