Methamphetamine: Built For Speed? Essay, Research Paper
Methamphetamine: Built for Speed?
Methamphetamine has reclaimed a place in the lexicon of “party” drugs. Hailed by
nocturnal adventurers, condemned by raver idealists, is speed a sleepless dream
or an addictive nightmare?
by Brian Otto
Here at the end of the millennium, the pace of modern life seems fleeting — a
whirl of minutes, hours and days. In dealing with the changes, humans have
equipped themselves with the tools to move faster, more efficiently. At the same
time a dependence for the marketing, high-speed transportation and pharmacology
of this modern age has evolved. In a race to outdo ourselves, we have moved
dangerously toward the fine line between extinction and evolution. Therefore,
the human capacity to handle the velocity becomes a fragile balance.
Our generation (see Gen X, 20-somethings) could be considered the sleepless
generation. An age of society’s children weaned on the ideals of high-speed
communication and accelerated culture has prided itself in mastering many of the
facets of human existence — doing more, sleeping less. The machines of this age
have in a way enabled us to create a 24-hour lifestyle. We have pushed the
limits of the modern world further — ATMs, high-speed modems, smart bombs and
bullet trains. However, the limitations of human existence, like sleep, may
still provide the stumbling block for infinite realization. That is, without
chemical aid.
In many ways, capitalism fuels the idea. Our society is based upon the mass
consumption of these substances. Cultural ideals, while seemingly benevolent as
“Have a Coke and a smile” have sold the link to chemical substances like
caffeine and nicotine to “the good life.” Today, stimulants are the bedrock for
consumer culture. For our generation, this appeal was heightened by raising the
stakes in the ’80s on what it meant to have fun.
Late night clubs, high speed music and 24-hour lifestyles brought the specter of
drugs to the fold as a necessity for being able to attain more. Leaps away from
the psychedelics of the ’60s, in the ’80s these stimulant drugs became tools –
utilitarian devices to gain wealth, intelligence and prestige. Sleep became a
barrier for success. Dreams were the frivolous luxuries of childhood.
Raves, founded equally in the post-conservative underground late-’80s and the
chaotic early-’90s, are part of the pastiche that has consequently become more
dream-like, more unreal and still somehow manageable. The hyperreality of today
goes hand in hand with the drugs being administered.
It’s 6 a.m. Around the speaker bins are small packs of animated dancers grinding
their feet into the floor and shaking their hands in front of them. The lookie-
loos and weekend warriors have long since gone home. Absent from their faces are
the smiles of midnight, replaced by the blank, vacant stare of sleepless dreams.
They have a name in the rave community, they are “tweakers.” “Tweaking,” the
common name for sniffing lines of speed, the drug methamphetamine, (popular for
its availability and price) has somehow replaced MDMA and LSD as the perfect
rave drug, allowing users the clear head and stamina to keep dancing long after
their bodies have gone to sleep.
A prominent opinion during the aftermath of the Los Angeles Summer of Love was
that speed killed the rave scene. Where speed had been seen in every scene from
metal to the punk scene, for some reason it was shocking for some to see
methamphetamine take hold, even though MDMA (an amphetamine-like substance) had
been circulating for years. Some likened the rise to the quash of young
newcomers, some equated it with the greed of drug dealers. Judging from today’s
roster of events throughout the nation, raves are still alive and well. However,
many old-schoolers have been turned off by the newbie vibe that came with
speed’s rise in popularity. Some were casualties themselves of the drug’s
addictive nature. Others say that speed alone is what fuels the rave scene,
keeping it from dying.
Amphetamine was first synthesized in 1887. First popularized by pharmaceutical
company Smith Kline & French as the nasal inhaler, Benzedrine, in 1932.
(Amphetamine is widely known as a bronchio dialator, allowing asthmatics to
breathe more freely.) A probable direct reaction to the Depression and
Prohibition, the drug was used and abused by non-asthmatics looking for a buzz.
Jazz great Charlie “Bird” Parker would remove the inhaler’s Benzedrine strip and
soak it in his coffee.
Methamphetamine, more potent and easy to make, was discovered in Japan in 1919.
The crystalline powder was soluble in water, making it a perfect candidate for
injection. Also smoking the drug creates a similar rush. It is still legally
produced in the U.S., most often prescribed for weight loss, sold under the
trade name Desoxyn. As the name “speed” suggests, amphetamines elevate mood,
heighten endurance and eliminate fatigue, explaining the drug’s popularity with
the military. Hitler was supposedly injected with methamphetamine.
Speed rose to popularity in California, home of many of the largest meth labs in
the country, riding on the back of biker gangs. Bikers have been historically
blamed for introducing the drug into the psychedelic ’60s, subsequently bringing
down a whole Summer of Love with violence and angst. Since then, speed has been
given a bad rap. It has been called a trailer park drug for decades, due to the
fact that it can be cooked up so cheaply and easily. It’s the drug of choice for
long-distance truckers and college students pulling all-nighters. Over the
counter ephedrine, or “white crosses,” has taken the place of pharmaceutical
amphetamine as an easy-to-get alternative.
What is often misunderstood is the relationship between speed and crystal meth.
The common reference to speed in the rave scene is the methamphetamine salt (HCl
powder), whereas “crystal” usually refers to the free-base form of
methamphetamine. Another form “Ice,” a higher-grade, purer form of crystal meth
is smoked, a single hit creates a high that lasts for hours and several hits can
wire a user for days. However, its high price prevents it from taking hold. A
gram of “ice” commands about $5,000 on the street.
Speed came to the rave scene in 1992. Theory: when the parties in ‘92 started to
get really good, the police were cracking down more on the prime-time parties –
partiers needed to find late-night/early morning activities like after-hours.
Consequently, the price of taking 3-4 pills of ecstasy became too expensive an
option, speed took over as an easier to get and cheaper alternative. Now, the
standard street price in Los Angeles for a gram of speed is approximately $100,
where ecstasy sells for approx. $150 or more.
One major misconception is the link between methamphetamine and ecstasy [MDMA].
Ecstasy does not necessarily contain speed, yet both contain the methamphetamine
structure. However, each affects a far different region of the brain resulting
in different psychological effects. Ecstasy primarily effects serotonin in the
brain — the center for self-satisfaction and emotional systems. Speed affects
dopamine primarily, a neurotransmitter linked to pleasure and reward. (Oddly,
alcohol also affects a dopamine center.) Often, MDMA is “cut” with speed to
lower the street price of the drug, thus changing the overall effect. The two
are similar in chemical makeup but one cannot be made from the other. Slightly
changing the chemical makeup produces a wholly different effect in the human
brain. While both have addictive potential, speed, because of its dopamine ties,
is much more profoundly addicting. Qualitatively, speed and ecstasy supposedly
give off “glows” that are far different.
Ecstasy has a definite link to the rave scene. In some places it is synonymous.
Speed too has been linked to the rave scene — some say it was the death of the
ideal. What’s unusual, given the qualitative similarities between the two, are
the differing opinions about speed. While many admit openly to taking MDMA, they
will not condone or even accept speed as a “valid” recreational drug. The stigma
that goes with “tweaking” can be quite severe.
“Speed is evil,” says Dominic. “I have seen more people’s lives twisted up off
that drug than anything else in the world. I was first introduced to it about
five years ago by a girl I was dating. I basically watched her use of it turn
from an occasional party thing to basically the sustenance of her life. Her body
withered way, and everything she did revolved around speed.”
“Speed does not belong in the underground scene,” he continues. “Something that
is so damn negative could never co-exist with the positive ideals that we try to
promote. If you want to get amped, feel energy and stay up all night, try
alternatives — using speed just to stay up is a total cop out.” However, his
opinion is that ecstasy has opposite effects and could actually save the rave
scene. “[MDMA] induces a sense of spiritual enlightenment, happiness, and
sometimes social understanding, something that could never be achieved by
shoving a few rails of driveway cleaner up your nose.”
“I’m all for consciousness expansion, even if by chemical means,” says another
critic, Michael. “Preferably organic chemistry. The problem is major parts of
the scene moved away from enlightenment, transcendence and betterment of the
self through involvement in community”
A regular user of the drug is DJ Velour, 19, also finds some criticism for it.
“I believe that speed/crystal is one of the most psychologically addictive drugs
around,” he says “Whenever I get tired or wish I had more energy, I always think
how nice it would be to have some speed. In that respect, I am addicted, because
it is definitely a part of my thought pattern now. And I haven’t done speed for
over 3 weeks now.” Even though his experiences have not all been good, he is
still connected to the drug.
“Amphetamines, in my mind are not evil,” says Velour, hoping to defend the drug
against his critical peers. “They are simple chemicals, if there is anything
evil it is the society we live in which dictates that they are illegal and thus
makes them harder to get.”
“I will admit one thing, it is very addictive,” he goes on. “Once you take it a
few times, you will continue to think about it after you stop. I haven’t done
speed for a month now and still some days will go by where I have only had 3 or
4 hours sleep, and I think to myself, ‘You know, speed would really help out
right now.’ However, that is what makes me a more responsible user. I not only
realize my desire for speed and other amphetamines and I curb the habit.” He
feels that his ability to control his habit is more powerful than his lust for
it. “Many of my friends are long time users of speed. However, by no means have
they ruined their lives.”
DJ Velour believes that the rave community can co-exist with a drug like
methamphetamine. He also, among others, mentions speed’s many different
appearances that make for different psychological outcomes. “Speed and other
stimulants can be a positive part of a raving community. However, just like any
other drug it depends upon the person taking it and the purity/mixture of the
drug. As strange as this may sound, different speeds can evoke different
emotions. They not only stimulate latent emotions, increasing their strength,
but they can also enforce emotions much in the way ecstasy can. I have had some
very “happy” speed that made me feel as happy as when I was on X. On the flip
side I have had some lower grade speed that made me feel depressed.”
Speedlore and Methology
“Of all the separate realities, legal landscapes, and metabolic metropolis that
thrive beneath the surface of the Cleaver’s USA, no subculture seems as
pervasive or uniform as the nationwide-eyed, high dosage methamphetamine club.
This group is a tribute to the idea that some things stay the same across time
or space… the members come and go, some leave quietly, some go snitch, croak,
or disappear, some hang in there after their lights have gone out, and quite a
few are dragged off at 6:00 a.m. Friday morning by blue windbreakers with yellow
writing.
Getting in too deep is what we do, it’s who we are.
But despite all this, there are a few of us who have managed to hang around the
periphery for decades, avoiding the felonies, gunshots, big ripoffs, and
crippling motorcycle accidents. Other than luck, the key to staying alive is
knowing when to take a step back, on your own, and avoid the biggest bear-trap
in the speed circus: taking yourself too seriously…
Truly not giving a fuck is the only way to maintain perspective. In other words,
there are worse things that can happen, than having to lay down and go to sleep
for a week… no drug or state of mind is worth dying for, killing for, or doing
hard time for…” (Speed Phreak)
“My experience with speed-like substances really begins with coffee,” says Mark,
an addict that relates his experiences back to an early age. “I’ve been drinking
the stuff since Jr. High School as my get me up and go thing. But the
relationship with amphetamines starts six or seven years ago with poppers
(ephedrine, mini-thins). I started taking them to stay awake in college to
finish papers and the like.”
“Things got really serious when I started doing CAT, a local low-grade speed
that was in vogue about six years ago.” CAT, or methacathinone, is a popular
substance made from common household chemicals like drain-cleaner, Epsom salts
and battery acid. “I realized how bad my problem was when right around the time
the land war in Iraq began. I had stayed up for days on end, watching the planes
bomb the Iraqis. It’s the only drug I’ve done at work. To this day what was a
six month period still seems to me to be several weeks. It’s also the only drug
I’ve done where my peers at work noticed mood swings, irritability, and
sleeplessness. The CAT I knew dearly also tweaked me on methamphetamine when the
CAT seemed to loose its luster.” CAT is notorious for its hardcore addictive
potential, apparently strong enough to hook users after just one sample.
“Even after I kicked the CAT habit, I would usually indulge my speed addiction
by crushing up mini-thins and snorting them. This continued for about another
year. Most recently (for about a year) I moved to MDMA as the speed kick. At
first I did it about once a month, but that has fallen off to a much less
frequent, but still regular usage.”
“What caught me about speed, and what catches me now, is the feeling of
invulnerability. I think I get from speed what most cocaine users get from coke.
The feeling of being on top of the world. As a raver, speed is also a convenient
way to keep dancing long after your body has gone to sleep.”
Asked if the drug has improved his life, he answers, “What a joke. Improve?
Beyond the nominal gain of being able to dance until the wee hours of the
morning, it doesn’t. And productivity? Any gains are ephemeral and short-
-lasted.”
“I do in fact know some people who skate through life without problems with
drugs. But I think more people than not overestimate their ability to handle
drugs. Drugs can be fun, but they also tend to get in the way of being a
functional human being with multi-dimensional interests, as opposed to being a
full-time club kid, which gets you nowhere fast.”
For “Pat,” the drug poses a serious paradox. He was prescribed methamphetamine
for a learning disability and consequently produced a problem through abuse.
“I’m able to work with concentration on something far longer than a few hours,”
he says of meth. “I have Attention Deficit Disorder [and] speed seems to improve
my attention span.”
“It can be a transcendental drug if you do enough. I’ve had really intense
thought about observations of myself, or new ideas about what I’d like to do
with my music, or other creative thoughts. This occurs with other psychedelic
drugs that I’ve done.” Still, he describes the typical problem with drugs like
speed. “Speed is funny. You think you’ve got it under control when you first do
it because it’s usually so nasty on the sinuses and your body that you don’t