In 2009, 1.2 million Americans age 12 and older had abused methamphetamine at least once in the year prior to being surveyed, according to the national survey on Drug Use and Health conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental health Administration. The National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded 2010 “Monitoring the Future” study showed that 1.2 percent of eighth-graders, 1.6 percent of 10th graders, and 1 percent of high school seniors had abused methamphetamine at least once in the year prior to being surveyed. To get their drug of choice, meth addicts commit 50-70 percent of all property crimes. The average meth addict will live only 5-7 years after addiction. Meth, it seems, is one of the few drugs with the potential for addiction after the first use.
