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Purdey
Research by medical anthropologists suggests that methamphetamine users often take the drug to increase their performance at work or school, not just to get high.

The work came to my attention via a comment on the Mind Hacks blog by Daniel Lende, a Notre Dame professor, responding to a post about Wired.com readers' drug regimens. He wrote:

Even with a drug like methamphetamine, most heavy users in our research engaged in "functional use." They [are] used to enhance cognitive function (or compensate for deficits), to increase overall productivity, and even to appear "normal" while being high (say, unlike alcohol).

After we made contact, the professor sent me a paper on the research, which appeared last year in Addiction Research and Theory. Lende and his colleagues interviewed 40 heavy meth users in Atlanta about how they used the drug that has widely been called the "new crack."

Instead of stories about the fun of crystal meth, the users spoke about the productivity gains they received from the drug. Their comments were eerily similar to what our readers said about using Adderall, Provigil, and Ritalin.

One seamstress claimed that productivity gains were the only reason she used the drug:

I went home and made a dress... and I was like, my God, I got the details down so well on this and everything, this is really an opportunitive drug here... I work drugged, which I know sounds stupid, but that's, it's not a social situation for me... I could totally just focus on the project at hand. And that was the biggest first and still is the only enticement of the drug.
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19 comments // Is meth a 'smart drug'?

  • lwhi
    • 0
      lwhi  
    • _IF_ it was found that cutting off your left arm, would give you better more powerful orgasms, make you feel much more alert and improve your IQ by 50% - would you do so?

      Okay, this is a bad analogy... If you cut your arm off; you wouldn't need to continue amputation on a regular basis; and chances are you'll still also live to a ripe old age.

      But I do think that pharmaceuticals for kids (adderall etc) are bad news - and that meth is bad news too.

    • 5 years ago
  • Mafioso
    • 0
      Mafioso  
    • Yeah I knew this guy that would put together these awesome puzzles that he'd create himself out of magazine articles and books. It was insane. And he would do that while tweeking. I love to schmoke. Doja, not Meth. If I ever go back to college maybe I'll take it up. Finals are a biatch!!!! Especially at UT.

    • 5 years ago
  • kingtsohg
  • antoniomarko
    • 0
      antoniomarko  
    • Haha i love those photos awesome man! lol
      I'll agree with u weed is different than meth and its not really what i was going for. Weed is an addicting drug just like any other but we are now finding ways to use it for a good cause. And they both are illegal thats probably the end of their similarities.
      But what i was trying to say is that most people are basis because they have their own vices, whether it be weed smoking, pill popping, or religious standards.
      Also i looked up a couple drugs that i know are prescribed monthly to most of the elementary school students in my town. Adderall , aka amaphatamine salts this is pretty close to meth not the street meth but pretty close.If u cant keep your kid quiet dope em up with the meth lol if anything its doing a public service, i guess that would back up your drone theory also. But for the common good huh ? I guess helping millions of kids around america with adha that cant concentrate on schoolwork or simply paying attention for long periods of time. honestly if a had a choice i would have gladly been one of those "drones."

    • 5 years ago
  • Ricky84
    • 0
      Ricky84  
    • Image
    • “And yes eating meat may not make your teeth pop out ur head but neither does meth over long term usuage yes meth with rot yor teeth out and so will sugar and many thing americans eat on a daily basis.”

      Long term usage in what cat year?! You should check out that picture I uploaded.

      Look when I’m in doubt I always turn to two sources. First is my pops the second is google.com I’m pretty sure my dad agrees with me about Meth so for the sake of argument let’s turn to google.

      I googled the word “Meth” and this is the first page of hits I received. Take your pick I dare you to find one good reference about meth.
      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methamphetamine
      www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/methamphetamine/index.html
      www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmmBwUUPVd8
      www.drugfree.org/OffsiteLinks/Faces_of_Meth1
      www.lifeormeth.org/
      www.usdoj.gov/methawareness/
      www.kci.org/meth_info/faq_meth.htm
      www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/meth/
      www.theantidrug.com/DRUG_INFO/drug_info_meth.asp
      www.justthinktwice.com/gotmeth/home.html

      I also did a google search of “Meth and emotions” this is what I found
      http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/bps/search/quick
      Check it out. You will find that my “ meth equals emotionless drone,” comment has a little bit of merit.

      As a control I also looked up anal sex. I’m not going to post the results on current.

      Then I decided to look up “weed.” I found the weed results to be extremely different then my meth results. You need to realize that you can’t loop all drugs into one category and expect their affects to be the same, just like you can’t generalize the affects of to much sugar being equal with that of meth rot. You do meth on the weekends. I drink beer on the weekdays. So what’s it matter right?

      There is a difference Antonio and you should be mature enough to recognize the danger your putting yourself into. Meth makes you chemically dependant no matter how strong your mind set may be. You do that stuff long enough and it will get worse, it’s called chasing the dragon. You’re floating down the path of least resistance to addiction with that mindset, and whether you like it or not your attitude toward meth will change.

    • 5 years ago
  • jamigraphic
    • 0
      jamigraphic  
    • i am proud of some people here for looking at this openly, not just automatically shunning the idea of a possible benefit here because "all drugs are bad and you WILL ruin your and everyone elses' lives if you use them and turn into a vegetable and die."
      the people who DID throw any potential profit because of this banal view, i feel a little sorry for you, that you have to live in such a black and white world.

      weed and meth are different. they have different effects on your brain, your ability to function, everything... i understand why people keep throwing that out there. still, trading one drug for another... /: i dunno.

      there is a LOT of meth where i live.
      a lot.
      sure i have tried it. most of us in my town have. though it may make some people able to get more done temporarily, i have seen first handed how it can have negative effects on other parts of their lives.

      so it comes down to, is it worth the sacrifice and the risk?

      ntm- it IS still illegal, folks. so is taking behavioral meds without prescription. so do not think you are a step above tweakers because you just cut concerta. psh.

    • 5 years ago
  • antoniomarko
    • 0
      antoniomarko  
    • Honestly where did the drone thing come from ? doin meth does not make u become a drone despite what u have heard if anything it makes u more intune with ur surrounding. And yes eating meat may not make your teeth pop out ur head but neither does meth over long term usuage yes meth with rot yor teeth out and so will sugar and many thing americans eat on a daily basis.
      Nazi's followed because of fear and hatred and religious inferiority not because they had a party drug on a daily basis. And while pot may seem harmless there are draw-backs to every "drug" some stronger than others and people who choose to do these types of drugs know full well the risk. And if they honestly cared about themselves why would they do such a hardcore drug. Like a said before because its my choice.and obviously u must have never been penetrated because you would know how addictive anal sex is. WOW! way to stereotype gays lol in fact most gays aren't the happy gays you see on tv most us tina (meth) for in fact that reason. self medications.

    • 5 years ago
  • Ricky84
    • 0
      Ricky84  
    • Ok just because I look like a pot head it does not mean I still smoke pot. God I miss pot in situations like this! Jesus man think about it! Pot is a horrible comparison to meth. Being gay, eating meat, sodomy; all are horrible comparisons to smoking meth. You don’t lose your teeth by eating meat. You don’t form a chemical dependence to anal sex and you certainly don’t become an emotionless drone by becoming gay. Gay people are the happiest oppressed people on the planet, everyone knows that. That’s what makes the gay lifestyle so infuriating to other people!!! You know who thinks meth is cool? Nazi’s and Hitler think meth is cool and I’m sorry I rather be a red, white and blue waving dork then be a douche bag Nazi. God bless the Allies, even the Russians.

    • 5 years ago
  • antoniomarko
    • 0
      antoniomarko  
    • Can any of you say "hypocrite"?
      Most you u still want to smoke your pipes(weed) but its wrong for others to smoke theirs(meth). I'm not saying go out and grab a Crank pipe but if ur goin to put something down that u haven't even tried just because someone told u its bad its limiting your own right to choice. If someone can find a use out of something that has become an epidemic i think more power to them.But to all you goody-two-shoe "drugs are bad" people maybe ur brain washed in a way you can't see. America tells us anything that isn't Christian is wrong , so being gay is a sin eating meat on friday is a sin .Im sorry i like my sodomy, i like a big t-bone on friday and i like my meth on the weekends. why because i choose to, just like u have the right to choose not to.

    • 5 years ago
  • BleachedBlind
    • 0
      BleachedBlind  
    • I know some former meth users, and they'll be the first people to tell you not to use meth. On the bright side, it can give you enough stimulation to go a day or two without sleep easily. The dark side is that it can ruin your way of life through side effects and rapid forming addiction. All in all, don't use meth.

    • 5 years ago
  • Shannon5
    • 0
      Shannon5  
    • Down with meth labs! Lovers of meth should consider rehab, a psychologist for ADHD and proper meds not made by a rednecked "chemist" in a mobile home bathtub.

      Try drinking more coffee and getting to bed at a reasonable hour and working a real job. That would probably make them more effective than smoking ice and making a dress with great details.

      Put down the pipe dear, get a job and buy a dress.

    • 5 years ago
  • pstuart
  • jogglef
  • lwhi
    • 0
      lwhi  
    • Image
    • "This cartoon is about Ritalin and Adderall, the two most popular amphetamine stimulant drugs used to "treat" ADHD in children. It attempts to demonstrate the double standard in American's drug policy towards children by showing how corporate-sponsored drugs are openly and widely prescribed to children as medicine, while home-made drugs are classified as dangerous substances that will land you in prison (even if two drugs are chemically identical!).

      New research published in the August, 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry finds that Ritalin, the amphetamine drug used to treat a fictitious medical disorder labeled Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, stunts the growth of children. After three years on the psychotropic drug, children are one inch shorter and 4.4 pounds lighter than their peers, researchers have documented."

    • 5 years ago
  • Ricky84
    • 0
      Ricky84  
    • Oh wow that’s so awesome. Some people take Meth to increase their productivity. Maybe the anthropologist who conducted this research was on Meth at the time. I say that because he completely avoided the horrible after affects of taking such a drug.

      “What’s wrong Johnny you having a hard time trying to kick Meth?”

      “Nah dude I got a brain fart.”

      What a joke.

    • 5 years ago
  • morganja
    • 0
      morganja  
    • as Jamigraphic said is the association with success and the drug - like being rewarded for taking it/by taking it. if you can throw out more or do it quicker than with it then you can do without
      ganja is the way forward!

      peace & love

    • 5 years ago
  • Humdrum
    • 0
      Humdrum  
    • I wouldn't feel smarter by turning my brain into swiss cheese.
      As far as brain stimulants go, I'll stick with coffee and the occasional bit of legalized speed.

    • 5 years ago
  • jamigraphic
    • 0
      jamigraphic  
    • the decrease in independant cognitive function when taken away from the drug is the part that hurts.
      eventually, this way of life interferes with other aspects of life and the clash calls for sacrifices.
      what happens when the have to quit the crank and are too frustrated to work without it?
      well, they cannot function like they used to.
      yeah, it can turn your brain to mush after a while.
      co-dependancy is balls.

    • 5 years ago
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