A crystal meth addiction can be serious and deadly.

Methamphetamines were first synthesized in 1887 and by the

1940’s were widely prescribed by physicians throughout the world for endurance and weight loss. Military use of the
drug was widespread during World War II by Germany Japan and England. The United States military reportedly did
not have access to the drug during World War II, but studies were initiated in the 1940’s and 1950’s to test for military
use. The United States Air Force approved usage of amphetamines in 1960 for flight endurance.

Illicit use of amphetamines began in the United States in the1960’s at which time clandestine labs began production
of speed, known as “crank”, and distribution began to spread throughout the United States via motorcycle gangs. The
name “crank” is derived from the crank case on a motorcycle engine where the drugs were carried.

Crystal methamphetamine, known in Hawaii primarily as ice, also known as batu, speed, crystal, crank, shabu, meth
and zip, surfaced in the 1980’s and reached epidemic use proportions in the United States in the 1990’s to the
present. Ice was used by nearly 1 million Americans last year and Hawaii has the highest ice usage of any state in
the United States. Ice available in Hawaii has an extremely high purity rate of nearly 95 percent and is readily
available due to local clandestine labs and importation from Asia.

Ice operates on the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin and noradrenalin receptors in the brain by blocking their
re-uptake. Dopamine and serotonin are the primary neurotransmitters responsible for the feelings produced by ice.
They flood the receptors and are prevented from being re-absorbed into the brain.

Dopamine is a “feel good” transmitter naturally released during times of feeling joy, during sexual activity and during
exercise. Dopamine is naturally released, then re-absorbed into the brain via receptors. Serotonin regulates
emotions, behaviors and moods. Ice floods the brain with dopamine and serotonin, causing extreme feelings of joy,
energy and a care-free attitude. So much dopamine and serotonin are released that some of the receptors are shut
down, causing less receptors to be functioning. Upon depletion of the drug in the brain, dopamine and serotonin
levels decrease drastically, causing a level below the person’s normal level.

Feelings of depression, hopelessness and emptiness prevail when the drug is no longer present in the body. Less
dopamine and serotonin in the brain means less joy, happiness and peace. Using ice again will elevate the dopamine
and serotonin levels again, alleviating the feelings of depression and hopelessness. Ice addiction arises in part from
the addict’s unwillingness to feel depressed and hopeless. More ice is the only way the addict knows, short of
recovery, to feel good again.

Over time, ice use increases as the brain adjusts to the levels of dopamine and serotonin and to the decreased
number of their receptors acting in the brain. The addict will need to use more and more ice, to the point of saturation.
At a certain use level, the brain will become saturated and more ice will not make the user feel any higher. This
appears to be the level at which users remain for days, even weeks at a time. Ice users report extended periods of
use for up to weeks, during which time the user will not sleep or eat. Sleep deprivation combined with the actual
effects of ice creates severe auditory and visual hallucinations, paranoia, anger, violence, agitation and skin
sensations of crawling bugs.

The effect of ice use on the person, family and community is devastating. Ice use destroys brain chemistry, thereby
damaging emotions, feelings, memory and reasoning. Some of these effects are irreversible. Long term studies on
ice users show impaired functioning and decreased serotonin levels in the brain for years following cessation of use.
Recovery from ice use takes years as the brain needs time to regenerate new tissue and re-energize damaged
nerves. Effects on the family are traumatic, from obvious neglect, deception, violence, and abandonment. Effects on
the community reflect those on the person and family, with criminal conduct (theft and violence) being the major
contributor to the detrimental effects of ice use. Jails and court systems are overloaded with ice users. It affects
nearly every aspect of community, schools, social services and the criminal justice system.