Methamphetamine

This report was developed to provide an overview of the extent and nature of methamphetamine use and abuse in Illinois' Fourth Judicial Circuit, how this compares to trends in Illinois, and how these measures could be more effectively identified, gauged, monitored and evaluated. Through the use of existing local- and state-level aggregate data, the research sought to gauge the migratory characteristics of methamphetamine as an emerging drug by examining prevalence indicators (efforts undertaken by law enforcement, such as controlled substances, drug arrests, clandestine methamphetamine lab seizures, new court commitments to prison, and the quality of methamphetamine seized as well as the number of methamphetamine submissions to Illinois State Police (ISP) crime laboratoratories) relative to consequence indicators (admissions to treatment for methamphetamine abuse data). When reading this report, it is important to view it as a whole. Statistical measures can be open to different interpretations, and no single indicator can accurately reflect the complexity of the problems associated with the prevalence of methamphetamine activity. Multiple indicators, used and taken together, however, can and do provide at least a rough indication of patterns and trends in the spread of methamphetamine use and abuse in Illinois.