# Why is either Meth super popular in US or super unpopular in UK? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 9, 2013, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-either-meth-super-popular-in-us-or-super-unpopular-in-uk/646577 "2013-01-09T03:00:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SecretaryofEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-either-meth-super-popular-in-us-or-super-unpopular-in-uk/646577/21 "2013-01-10T02:49:11Z")
> [@FrankJBN](#): > > “Yeah I’ve worked in the criminal justice system on the East Coast and we never had anybody who got caught with meth” > > While this anecdote may be true for the poster, readers should not believe that no one on the East coast of the US ever gets arrested for meth or that it is even rare. Quite correct, the East Coast is a huge and diverse place. I was honestly fairly surprised myself that I never encountered a defendant accused of methamphetamine possession. I was merely adding my own anecdotal experience to the fact that the prevalence of methamphetamine usage varies between different regions of the United States. As I wrote, I did encounter a couple of defendants who had amphetamine in pill form, but no crystal meth. Just to add to the credibility of my story, the Ethiopian with the khat was a hunchbacked dwarf. ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-either-meth-super-popular-in-us-or-super-unpopular-in-uk/646577/22 "2013-01-10T03:33:16Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > I’m not sure why, but the only comparative data in thread was linked by astro in the very first reply and ignored. What it said is that there isn’t a huge difference between parts of the UK and the US. The US falls into the top 10 countries for amphetamines, with 1.8%. It’s behind Australia (2.1%). The UK falls out as Scotland 1.2%, England 1.1%, Isle of Man 0.9%, and Ireland 0.4%. > > So, apparently despite the OP’s perceptions, use of methamphetamine in parts of the UK probably isn’t that far off that of the US. The more interesting question, albeit a IMHO type question, is “why does the US freak out so much over drugs?” or “why does the US media and law enforcement trumpet methamphetamine abuse so loudly?” Alternatively, those who understand the differences between types of drugs would have realised that ampthetimines in general are not the same as methamphetamine - at least for the purposes of my OP. Why, it’s almost as if in my OP I even mentioned that other types of amphetamine are available… ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-either-meth-super-popular-in-us-or-super-unpopular-in-uk/646577/23 "2013-01-10T04:22:44Z")
> [@Simple\_Linctus](#): > > Alternatively, those who understand the differences between types of drugs would have realised that ampthetimines in general are not the same as methamphetamine - at least for the purposes of my OP. Why, it’s almost as if in my OP I even mentioned that other types of amphetamine are available… Yes, you’d need to take a bit more amphetamine to get the same effect as methamphetamine. Your question is based on a false premise because amphetamines, which would include methamphetamine, are not super popular in the US. Really what I’m getting at is if you’re going to ask a question it would be nice if you took the trouble to have a look at the answers. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-either-meth-super-popular-in-us-or-super-unpopular-in-uk/646577/24 "2013-01-11T16:57:55Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > I’m not sure why, but the only comparative data in thread was linked by astro in the very first reply and ignored. What it said is that there isn’t a huge difference between parts of the UK and the US. The US falls into the top 10 countries for amphetamines, with 1.8%. It’s behind Australia (2.1%). The UK falls out as Scotland 1.2%, England 1.1%, Isle of Man 0.9%, and Ireland 0.4%. Ireland isn’t in the UK although NI is. ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-either-meth-super-popular-in-us-or-super-unpopular-in-uk/646577/25 "2013-01-11T17:19:21Z")
> [@astro](#): > > [Drugs use map of the world](http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/interactive/2012/jul/02/drug-use-map-world) according to that for 16-64 yr olds its a 1.8% use rate in the US and a 1.1% rate for England (1.2 for Scotland) so that doesn’t seem like much of a difference, and meth use being approx the same percentage of commonality in both places. However the US tends to sensationalize meth use, and so it may seem more popular. ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-either-meth-super-popular-in-us-or-super-unpopular-in-uk/646577/26 "2013-01-11T17:29:19Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > It’s highly regional even in the US. [From 2004-2011](http://www.justice.gov/dea/resource-center/meth-lab-maps.shtml), five eastern states and Hawaii had **zero** meth labs discovered, compared to 2,058 in Missouri. I was under the impression meth was a fairly significant problem in Hawaii. Obviously it isn’t widely manufactured (or at least the manufacturing isn’t as easily discovered) there but it is definitely a problem there. > [@](#): > > Why important? > Methamphetamine or “meth” is also known as speed, ice, and crystal. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, methamphetamine is the “‘drug of choice” in Hawaii.1 Its effects include cardiovascular and psychiatric disturbances. Meth accounts for more emergency room visits that any other drug, based on a survey by the National Association of Counties. > > How prevalent is Meth use in Hawaii? > In Hawaii, an estimated 13,900 persons aged 12 or older used methamphetamine in the past year, or 1.09 percent of the population. Hawaii ranks 13th among all States (high: Nevada, 2.0 percent; low: New York, 0.1 percent). In 2005, 40 percent of all drug-related visits to emergency rooms in the state are because of amphetamine abuse/dependence. [http://hhic.org/\_cmx/cmx\_article/articleView.asp?ArticleID=110](http://hhic.org/_cmx/cmx_article/articleView.asp?ArticleID=110) [Hawaii Has Huge Meth Mess](http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-201_162-573057.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-either-meth-super-popular-in-us-or-super-unpopular-in-uk/646577.md?page=1)