meth

According to Mosher and Atkins in 1996 an article in Spokane, Washington's Spokesman-Review headlined, "Meth Turning Kids into Monsters." The article claimed meth use was skyrocketing through the nation. The media gave meth the title "The Crack of the 90s." However as we have seen previously heroin and ecstasy were both seen as equal to the crack epidemic of the 80s. Media also said the use of meth increased crime. An article in the USA Today said that meth was causing "everything from serial killing to necrophilia." The article goes on to say that Adolf Hitler used meth. One final count in the article highlights a woman who would use meth all day in order to have the energy for her job cleaning houses. One day she went home and watched The Ten Commandments with her children and before the movie ended she had murdered her firstborn child as depicted in the movie.

The Media's Meth Mania takes a look at how the media is reacting to meth. It quotes several media sources that sensationalize the drug. One media source suggested that meth makes a crack baby "look like a walk in the park." The article also points out that these media sources often leave out statistical information such as the rise in use, crime, and deaths. The article says this of meth and crack, "Nonetheless, just as with crack cocaine, at the peak of the epidemic that was supposedly ravaging the country, only 5% of the population report even trying methamphetamine and just .3% report using it in the last month. For the latest “most addictive drug ever,” this means that just 6% of those who’ve tried it are still using it."