50 Dark Facts About Meth (Breaking Bad to WWII)

Kind: captions Language: en Here are 50 insane facts about meth. [music] And just a warning, some of this is going to get dark. Fact 50. [music] As the saying goes, life imitates art. And when it comes to Breaking Bad, there have been quite a few real life Walter whites. One of them was literal, a man named, you guessed it, Walter White. Topped the 2016 most wanted list in Tuscaloosa, Alabama for the manufacturer and selling of meth. He [music] wasn't a teacher, but don't worry, there have been teachers who followed the fictional Mr. White's footsteps, too. In 2011, a 74year-old math professor from Boston University, was charged with running a meth lab. Then in 2012, William Duncan, a junior high chemistry teacher in Cass [music] County, Texas, was accused of cooking and selling meth. He was caught after attempting to sell his product to undercover cops in the parking lot of the school where he taught. Walter White would never. Fact 49. Ever wondered what the iconic blue crystals featured in Breaking Bad were made of? In a 2014 radio interview, Walter White himself revealed the secret. According to Brian Cranston, it was cotton candy flavored rock candy, or in his words, vile tasting pieces of sugar. He also revealed that co-star Aaron Paul, who played Jesse, was getting sugar high on their supply. By that, we mean he was eating the candy. Please don't sue us, Aaron. Speaking of Breaking Bad's baby blue meth, though, fact 48. Was there any truth to the idea of blue tinged drugs? Or was that just Hollywood magic? According to USA Today, there was a real meth cook who tinted his product with blue chalk, referring to the dyed version as Smurf dope. Classy. But the color wasn't the only part of Breaking Bad's candy meth [music] that was weirdly accurate. Fact 47. According to DEA spokesman Steve Robertson, there have been rare reports of flavored meth popping up in California, Nevada, Washington, Idaho, Texas, New Mexico, Missouri, and Minnesota. Identified flavors include strawberry, chocolate, and cola, not to be confused with Coke. Yummy. Fact 46. You probably don't associate meth with a [music] case of the sniffles, but one of the most effective ingredients used to treat the common cold has historically [music] been used to manufacture meth. Pseudoephedrin, used as a decongestant and included in medications like pseudafed, was once available over the counter. However, in 2006, it was restricted in the [music] United States after it became known as the ingredient of choice for methamphetamine home cooks. [music] So now it's a whole lot harder to treat cold and flu symptoms without drowsiness. Thanks a lot, meth. Fact 45. Like many of the most infamous illegal drugs, there was a time when meth was used in a medical setting, and [music] it was potentially given to some pretty famous patients. Dr. Max Jacobson, a doctor to the stars in the 60s [music] and 70s, earned the nickname Dr. Feelgood with many of his high-profile patients. [music] His treatments just so happened to include amphetamines and methamphetamines from time to time. Who was he injecting these mysterious drug cocktails, [music] which may or may not have included meth, into? Well, just a few people you might have heard of, like Ingred Bergman, [music] Elizabeth Taylor, Nelson Rockefeller, and John F. Kennedy himself. That's right. Jacobson was injecting amphetamines into the president of the [music] United States for his back pain. His unusual and unethical methods, emphasis [music] on the meth were exposed by the New York Times in 1972, and Jacobson lost his medical license in 1975, which, you know, makes sense. [music] His ethical conduct was pretty meup. Fact 44. Speaking of the dentist, meth use can spell serious trouble for anyone that needs to be put under for surgery, dental or otherwise. Not only does meth interact with anesthesia, but regular use of [music] stimulants increases the risk of heart failure during surgery. For a long time, meth users surgeons may need to perform an ultrasound of the heart beforehand to evaluate how it's functioning. So, if your surgeon asks about recreational drug use, they're probably not trying to be a narc. They're trying to make sure you don't die on the table. Fact 43. One of the most infamous side effects [music] of meth is meth mouth or extreme tooth decay. But what about meth causes this? First, meth use reduces saliva production. Saliva is a barrier against acid wear on the tooth enamel. If saliva production is reduced, the teeth develop more cavities as the enamel is worn away. [music] Meth users will often clench or grind their teeth, causing them to break. And add [music] in the fact that many meth users consume high sugar beverages to combat their dry mouth, the decreased blood to oral tissues that results from methamphetamines, lesions in the gums and cheeks caused by smoking meth, and top it all off with the likelihood that prolonged meth users are less likely to [music] notice oral pain or seek medical attention, and you're looking at a dentist's nightmare. Fact 42. Meth is often associated with rural America today, but it was actually first invented in Japan. Chemist Nagayi Nagayoshi synthesized methamphetamine from ephedrin in 1893. Later Akira Agata synthesized [music] it in a crystalline form in 1919. The process by which he synthesized meth in [music] this form involved a mixture of red phosphorus iodine and ephedrin and it's a process still used by some meth manufacturers today. Nice to know that humble small town meth cooks are keeping traditions alive. Fact 41. So what's the deal with a federan? Ephedrin is a chemical derived from ephedra, an evergreen shrub [music] native to China and India. It's been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 5,000 years to treat asthma, bronchitis, and symptoms of cold and flu, such as congestion, chills, cough, [music] and fever. It can be distilled into a chemical form known as ephedrin, or synthetic versions of the chemical like pseudoephedrin. That's right, we're back [music] to pseudafed because ephedrin can be used to make meth. Pseudoephedrin can be used for the same thing. Ephedra was sold commercially in supplements for weight loss, energy, and athletic performance until it was banned in 2004. Fact 40. So remember how ephedra was used to treat asthma? Well, in 1932, the American pharmaceutical industry had the same idea about amphetamine. Big pharma company Smith Klein and French released benzadrine, an amphetamine inhaler marketed for the treatment of asthma and nasal congestion. It was available to customers without a prescription and people quickly caught on to its well, let's just say recreational possibilities. In order to prevent abuse of the inhalers, the company added hot pepper extract to benzadrine, hoping the sting of capsain would stop people from huffing the fumes when it wasn't necessary. It's uncertain how effective this deterrent was, but the company eventually phased out the use of amphetamine in its inhalers. [music] Asthmatics, who no longer had to inhale hot pepper extract, probably rejoiced. Fact 39. At this [music] point, the word meth is starting to sound like a nonsense word. So, let's talk about some other nicknames [music] for it. According to official DEA documentation, some of the confirmed street terms for meth include biker's coffee, chalk, Christy, crystal, crank, glass, ice, popsicle, rocket fuel, speed, witch's teeth, devil's dandruff, and [music] zip. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Pun intended. Actually, we intend all of our puns. It's just a nice little way of making you suffer. Moving on. Fact 38. Meth goes by a lot of different names, and it also comes in a variety of forms. There's crystal meth, of course, which we've already covered. Crystal meth is the most potent form of the drug and is generally [music] smoked or injected by drug users. It also comes in a powder form known as speed, which can be mixed with other substances and snorted. Then there's base, which is a [music] more potent and pure form than powder and is a damp or oily substance with a white, yellow, or brown color. This is usually injected or swallowed by meth users. None of those sound all that appealing to us. Fact 37. There's another form of meth we haven't covered yet. Prescription [music] meth. That's right. Methamphetamine is available in prescription form. Okay, that's not exactly [music] true. It's a form of the drug known as methamphetamine hydrochloride, also known as dysoxin. [music] This drug is a controlled substance that is occasionally prescribed for the treatment of ADHD. Amphetamines can be very useful in the treatment of ADHD, including aderall and rolin. It's important to note [music] that these drugs don't have the same effects when used to treat this specific medical condition as they do when taken recreationally by those who don't need them. As the saying goes, the dose makes the poison. [music] And there is an ocean of difference between taken as directed rolin and crystal meth. That [music] was heavy. So, how about some music to take our minds off it? Fact 36. Hey, [music] you know that song Semi- Charmed Life by Thirdey Blind? Yeah, you do. Even if you don't realize it. Maybe you heard it on the radio or while in a dressing room in a department [music] store somewhere. The song was massively popular on release and continues to be used in ads, [music] movies, and TV shows. and it gets a lot of radio play. It's a pretty cheerful song if [music] you don't focus on the lyrics so much. If you do, you might realize it's actually about meth. You might notice the line, "The sky [music] was gold, it was rose, I was taking sips of it through my nose, and I wish that I could get back there someplace back there, smiling in the pictures [music] you would take." Doing crystal meth will lift you up until you break. Pretty heavy material for a song once covered by Alvin and the [music] Chipmunks. Fact 35. Speaking of artists writing about meths, Jack Carowak famously wrote on the road, but he also was on amphetamines. While he wasn't using meth per se, he was very fond [music] of benzadrine and would write to other famed beat poet Alan Ginsburg. Benny has made me see a [music] lot. By the way, on the road was written in only 3 weeks with no paragraph breaks on one giant scroll made out of taped together sheets of paper, but that's probably not related. Fact 34. It's [music] been a minute since we talked about Breaking Bad. Let's fix that. The creators of the show reached out to the Drug Enforcement Administration during the process of production, and the DEA chemists came on board to teach Aaron Paul and Brian Cranston how to make crystal meth. Which brings us [music] to our next fact. Fact 33. The science is pretty accurate on Breaking Bad, but that doesn't mean it's a step-by-step [music] instruction manual for a do-it-yourself meth lab. For example, real meth of the purity discussed on the show would not actually be blue, but colorless. The show used a science [music] consultant, Dr. Donna Nelson, a chemistry professor at the University of Oklahoma, to advise on the show's portrayal of meth cooking, particularly in the P2P process. [music] The portrayal is largely accurate, but some details were left out to avoid accidentally inspiring any enterprising copycats. Fact 32. Wait a second. What's the P2P process? We already talked about the process of crystallizing [music] ephedrin and pseudoedrin using phosphorus and iodine. But as there [music] have been more crackdowns on ephedrin and its synthetic forms, the P2P process has increased in popularity among meth manufacturers. [music] The P2P process is named after phenyl 2 propanone, a precursor chemical to pseudoedrin [music] and it also involves aluminum, methylamine and mercuric chloride. Using this precursor [music] chemical allows meth cooks to get around restrictions on pseudo ephedrin while still generating product. Though the product is [music] considerably lower quality. Fact 31. Bet you didn't know how big of a role meth played in World War II. German pharmaceutical company released a new exciting drug in 1938 called [music] pervatin. It was a miracle drug that could make people more alert, less depressed, and more productive. Oh yeah, and it was a pill version of methamphetamine. A military doctor named Otto Ranki discovered the possibilities of this magic [music] little pill, and soon it was the go-to stimulant for Nazi Germany. In one month in 1940, the German military went through 35 million meth tablets. What better way to stay up for days at a time and march for miles without rest than to just be absolutely cranked out of your mind on meth? The German soldiers [music] new best friend fueled them through the Blitzkrieg invasion of France among other missions. It reached a point where they were so desperate to keep the sweet stimulants [music] flowing that soldiers were writing letters to their families from the front and asking them to send not photos, not letters, but more pervat. It seemed like [music] this drug was going to win Germany the war. Well, we all know how that worked out. Hey, speaking of failures, fact [music] 30. Adolf Hitler. What a loser. He was always known for having boundless energy for long war strategy meetings and loud speeches about all the things he hated. Where did he get all that energy? Many historians say it was a cocktail of various drugs, including [music] cocaine and crystal meth. I guess it's pretty exhausting being one of history's greatest monsters. [music] He needed some chemical assistance. Fact 29. It should be noted that it wasn't just the German military using performance-enhancing drugs during World War II. American soldiers used bentadrine as their combat stimulant of choice. taking it to keep themselves awake and alert and to stave off battle fatigue. Meanwhile, the British soldiers consumed dexadrine for the same purpose. So, everybody was on some kind of amphetamine, [music] and they were all shooting at each other. The art of war. Fact 28. Japanese kamicazi pilots also used methamphetamine during World War II, taking large [music] doses via injection before their missions. They were also given pills made from methamphetamine mixed with green tea powder and then [music] stamped with the crest of the emperor. These were known as storming tablets. After the war ended, many soldiers returned home with meth habits, and the drug gained momentum in [music] the streets of Japan. Isn't war just awesome for everyone involved? Fact 27. Humanity hasn't just used meth as a weapon of war. We've also used it for the sake of vanity. Methamphetamine and other amphetamines have been a frequent ingredient in diet pills over the years, starting in the 1950s and60s. Many of these diet pills caused heart problems and other health complications and meth adjacent ingredients still make an appearance in these types of drugs in the 21st century. In [music] 2010, a weight loss pill was pulled from the market after it was found to contain a fedin. Love yourself and stay the hell away from diet pills, folks. Fact 26. One of the worst imaginable outcomes of meth use is [music] an overdose. Warning signs of an acute meth overdose include sudden dangerous spikes in body temperature and blood pressure, chest pain, confusion, anxiety, dilated pupils, rapid eye movement, vomiting, nausea, trouble breathing, and convulsions. [music] Like with cocaine, it's difficult to determine the exact amount of meth that will trigger an acute overdose. The overdose threshold can be affected by a person's age, mass, metabolism, pre-existing health conditions, and the method by which they are ingesting the drug, whether swallowing, snorting, smoking, or injecting it. Fact 25. So, let's say someone's trying to get off [music] of meth once and for all. What does methamphetamine withdrawal look like? Well, the severity of the withdrawal symptoms [music] depends on the person as well as how much meth they're using and for how long. The physical symptoms of withdrawal can include exhaustion, disturbed sleep patterns, dry mouth, [music] headaches, anxiety, hallucinations, and muscle spasms. Because of the potential severity of these symptoms, medically supervised withdrawal is recommended in cases of heavy meth use. Fact 24. If meth is so bad for the body, why do people even do it? Taking [music] meth floods the brain with dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a major role in emotions, [music] bodily movement, and feelings of both pleasure and pain. In lab experiments that compared the effects of [music] sex versus meth on dopamine levels in the brain, animals experienced a spike in dopamine during sex that went from 100 to 200 units. [music] Cocaine caused a spike to 350 units. Meth cranked things all the way up to,250 [music] units. There is no natural way to get that kind of dopamine spike that meth can create. This makes it incredibly addictive and has consequences for the [music] way the brain can experience pleasure overall. Fact 23. Long-term use of meth impacts the ability of the brain to naturally produce dopamine. Chronic meth users have lower levels of dopamine receptors than those who abstain from it. So, when meth users try to get clean, their ability to feel pleasure is decreased and they often plunge into depression, sending them straight back to the only drug that can make them feel normal. Eventually, the brain is able to regain its ability to generate dopamine. But it [music] takes time, and the amount of time is different for every person. But that's not the only terrifying long-term effect of meth. Fact 22. Prolonged meth use can also trigger hallucinations and psychosis. One of the most common and distressing hallucinations is the tactile [music] or physical sensation hallucination of bugs crawling across or under the skin. This is often referred to as meth bugs, ice mites, meth mites, and crank bugs. It can lead to aggressive picking and scratching of the skin, leaving open wounds that can become infected or even lead to deadly sepsis. Meth use also suppresses the immune system, making the likelihood of infection or related conditions all that much higher. All in all, these hallucinations are painful and terrifying for both the person experiencing them and anyone trying to care for them. Fact 21. Meth isn't just dangerous to the brain and body, it's also dangerous to the environment. You've heard of meth labs. You probably also heard about meth lab explosions. The two go hand in hand. Turns out when you combine dangerous substances, flammable chemical reactions, and corner [music] cutting safety procedures, the results, well, can blow up in your face. Because meth cooking requires a multitude of complicated chemical [music] reactions, it's easy for something to go wrong when handled by untrained hands. And the fact that the chemicals involved are extremely volatile, such as acetone, ammonia, and other solvents, and the fact that [music] there is usually an open flame around, it's easy to see how explosions happen. Even a small spark or static electricity could set off an explosion. Top it all off with the secrecy surrounding meth labs, making them even less safe and more likely to be placed in rural areas where fires [music] can spread quickly, and you got yourself a disaster on your hands. Meth lab explosions are characterized by a quick eruption of flames and a shock wave likely to destroy the structure and send scraps of metal flying. From there, the fire can spread and the toxic chemicals can seep into the soil and the nearby water. Nobody wants a bunch of cranked [music] up squirrels running around. Just kidding. It wouldn't actually get the squirrels high. It would just poison them. Fact 20. Not all meth labs are in trailers and in sheds in the middle of nowhere. Some of them are sitting on top of premium real estate. Take for example th