For years, much time and money has been poured into addressing the opioid crisis. And rightly so – 50,000 people died in 2019 from an overdose associated with opioids, representing more than 70% of drug overdose deaths overall. That number continues to climb: the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there were more than 75,000 opioid-related overdose deaths in the year ending April 2021.

What people talk about much less is the increase in the use of methamphetamine and the different challenges it poses for people who use it, and for the justice system.

Overdoses from methamphetamine are less common than from opioids, yet have risen dramatically in the last few years. There are also other significant neurological, behavioral, and physical effects from long-term use of methamphetamine.

In addition, there is a lack of understanding by many about methamphetamine trends. Drug cases involving methamphetamine grew steadily from 2012-2019. It was by far the number one drug identified by laboratories testing substances for drug cases in 2020. In fact, this is true in each region of the country except for the northeast.

Most of those who work in the justice system don’t want to punish people for substance use disorders, and many jurisdictions have developed ways to divert people into treatment at different points in the system. Methamphetamine use is proving to be more of a challenge than opioids in this regard because there are currently no medications to assist people in achieving recovery, and in many areas of the country there are few methamphetamine treatment options.

Also concerning is the impact of methamphetamine on the brain and behavior. Chronic meth users can exhibit violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, insomnia, and psychotic features including paranoia, aggression, visual and auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances, and delusions. Some of this conduct may increase the likelihood of someone's involvement in the justice system.

Two of the jurisdictions CJI works with are leveraging the justice system and increasing their commitment to diverting people from jails into treatment to get them the help they need despite the challenges meth poses. Read more about the two jurisdictions below.

This country has made great strides in diverting people from the justice system into treatment and using the power of the court to encourage people to participate in the treatment they need. While methamphetamine use disorders certainly pose unique challenges for both the justice and treatment systems, the significant impacts on people’s health, their families, and our communities require us to focus far more attention on it, and make larger investments in solutions that follow the best evidence we have right now, and to continue to develop more effective treatment options.