|
The Dangers of Methamphetamine Abuse in the Workplace
The use of amphetamines in general has become a serious security risk in the workplace. Before the use of any drug can be curtailed, though, we need to understand its composition, history, and present dangers.
Amphetamine, dextroamphetamine and methamphetamine are all referred to as amphetamines. While employee drug screening has increased, the chemical properties and psychopharmacological actions are so similar between the three that even the users get confused as to which of these drugs they have really taken.
The first mass event of amphetamine sales was in the 1930s when Benzedrine was marketed as a method to treat nasal congestion. By the late 1930’s, amphetamine was available through prescription in a tablet form and was used in treating narcolepsy and “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). During World War II, amphetamine began to be used to keep combat troops fighting and this was when, thanks to Adolph Hitler, methamphetamine also became readily available.
As the use of amphetamines spread around the globe abusers of the drug spread its illegitimate use as well. The transportation industry suffered from truck drivers using amphetamines to stay awake for long hours. Teenage girls and young women used them for weight control, athletes used them as performance enhancers, and young people began to use them to “party” longer. The 1970’s saw attention paid to stringy haired and wired youngsters called "speed freaks" who quickly began their own sub-culture of societal rejection and self-medication.
In 1965 new federal drug laws tried to reduce illegitimate use of amphetamines by removing some from the market and educating doctors about the illegal uses of the drugs so they would prescribe them less frequently. As in any other form of attempted prohibition, this led to a constantly increasing black market for amphetamines. Clandestine methamphetamine laboratories have mushroomed and most amphetamines distributed to the black market are produced through these laboratories to your staff, their families, and your clients.
The predominant problem today is methamphetamine. Meth can be taken orally or injected. "Ice," the slang name for crystallized methamphetamine hydrochloride, has overtaken crack cocaine as the preferred drug to inhale into the lungs. Both drugs are highly addictive, highly toxic, and present security concerns for your business. The effects of methamphetamine may be similar to cocaine, but the duration is much longer. Where a good cocaine “crack” high may last from only fifteen minutes to three hours, a methamphetamine high can keep the user awake for days. The chronic abuse of meth produces a psychosis characterized by paranoia, the user picking at their skin, and both auditory and visual hallucinations. This picking at the skin sometimes disguises needle use as chronic users try to hide their abuse by picking scabs up from the surface just enough to fit a needle in, and then returning them back to their arm – these scabs known as “trap doors.” Staff may exhibit what are referred to as “crank bugs” – rashes developed as the result of the chemicals they are injecting into their bodies as seen in the illustration below.
Violent behavior is frequently seen among meth abusers and that, coupled with their social disorganization, can wreak havoc in the workplace. Staff suffering from prolonged high body temperatures can have convulsions many have died. Besides these dangers, there is the increased likelihood to otherwise non-abusing staff they may become subject to the abuser’s highly propensity for HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C through using needles to inject the drugs.
There are actually several varieties of meth:
1) l-methamphetamine – is produced commercially, does not have substantial addictive qualities, and is sold over the counter.
2) dl-methamphetamine – this is clandestinely produced using the “P2P” method and is reemerging for purposes of abuse.
3) d-methamphetamine – this is produced using the ephedrine/pseudoephedrine reduction methods, is highly addictive, and is the most widely abused form of meth.
4) Ice – this is most often produced by recrystallizing powdered meth by using a solvent such as acetone. This smoked form of meth provides a more intense and longer high.
Employers who find meth for distribution will usually find it sealed in 1-pound compressed bricks. These may be wrapped in aluminum foil, duct tape, or some other form of moisture sealant and then covered with scented dryer sheets, coffee, detergents, etc. to mask the scent and make it more difficult to detect.
When using drug screening to detect usage the metabolites checked for should be 4-hydroxymethamphetamine, amphetamines, 4-hydroxynorephedrine, norethedrine, p-hydroxyamphetamine, and hydroxyl-and glucuronomide conjugates of the parent drug. The approximate detection time in urine is only 2-4 days. EMIT cutoffs are commonly at 1000 ng/mL with a 500 ng/mL alternate cutoff; GC/MS cutoffs unusually at 500 ng/mL, and confirming for methamphetamine ng/mL amphetamine.
Chemicals from dumpsites where meth labs have been contaminate water supplies, kill livestock, and render those areas uninhabitable. Meth laboratory fires or explosions have destroyed buildings and homes, injuring and killing those occupants while endangering residents and nearby structures. Many states are enacting laws where homeowners will need to produce a “Certificate of Meth Clearance” for the sale of their home much like termite inspections are presently required – these to protect the new owners. Day care centers are reporting innocent children being contaminated with meth and/or meth-producing chemicals as these children come into contact with children from homes where meth is being manufactured. In some areas, the drug has caused some people to degrade to the point that abusers collect their own urine in gallon containers and use these as “trade-ins” for meth to support their habit. The illegal producers then take these urine stockpiles, boil them down, and mix the resulting meth-laden urea crystals with fresh batches of meth to sell to unsuspecting clients who then inject these into their own arms.
The supply of methamphetamine is something the employer really cannot do much about. They can secure the business perimeter only to have staff bring the drugs in. Conversely, addicted staff will abuse the drug once they return home where there is no perimeter. If they cannot find someone to manufacture meth for them, they can easily go to the Internet for a list of cooking directions where they can make it themselves. Ingredients are easy and all available through local markets without question. An average of seventy percent (70%) of drug abusers are actually employed and the workplace is considered the best place to sell drugs because relationships often hide those doing the selling in this, otherwise, secure environment. Intelligent management understands they must attack the desire for staff to consume these drugs by random testing, employee education, and having substance abuse referral resources so staff does not have to choose between their job and their addiction.
Often, when performing a vulnerability analysis, security management includes exterior threats, competitive intelligence, etc. but fails to realize how quickly internal staff can become compromised as the result of an addiction. To truly secure the workplace against drug use and/or the other dangers often accompanying this use, security professionals must proactively reduce the demand for substance abuse through planned and regular employee training. This must be reinforced through an aggressive detection policy supported by the staff and understood to be for their own protection.
 Top of Page
|
