Breaking Bad-Inspired Blue Meth Found on Streets
The treatment specialists at our Broward drug treatment center would like to point out that methamphetamine is one of the most highly addictive and physically damaging street drugs in existence. According to New Mexico authorities, the blue methamphetamine being sold on Albuquerque streets is even more dangerous than usual, due to the chemicals dealers are cutting it with to give it its blue color.
Meth addicts in New Mexico could be forgiven for thinking that the popular television show Breaking Bad was real, after finding blue-tinted meth for sale on Albuquerque streets.
Walter White, the fictional antihero of the television program, cooked meth that, on the show, was so pure that it carried a blue tint. In reality, of course, pure methamphetamine is not blue; it’s clear or pale yellow in color. However, meth dealers in Albuquerque are capitalizing on the show’s popularity by selling blue-colored methamphetamine to the city’s addicts. Dealers are mixing extra chemicals into the methamphetamine to give it its blue color.
This is not the first time that authorities have encountered blue-colored methamphetamine. Here at our Broward drug treatment center, we have already helped meth addicts who have encountered the blue-tinted meth inspired by the TV show Breaking Bad. Kansas City police warned of the first Breaking Bad blue meth knockoffs in that city in 2010. In October 2013, Missouri officials seized $2.3 million worth of blue methamphetamine in the city of Monett.
Branding for Drug Dealers
Drug dealers can’t exactly take out a newspaper ad to promote their products. According to assistant special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New Mexico, Kevin Abar, meth dealers color their drugs as a form of advertising. The coloration brands the product, so that users who like it know exactly what to ask for the next time they buy, and so they can tell their friends about it. Mr. Abar said that authorities have found red-colored versions of methamphetamine, too.
The addiction treatment specialists in our Broward drug treatment center are just as concerned as authorities about blue meth’s higher potential for abuse. The blue methamphetamine may be especially dangerous to younger users, who are most likely to be unaware that pure meth is not really blue. Not only do they risk illness due to smoking the chemicals used to make the meth blue, but they may also be vulnerable to a higher risk of drug addiction.
After all, younger users may be attracted to the blue meth because of its association with a popular television show, and because it seems glamorous. By the time these young people realize that no drug use is glamorous, it may be too late even for our Broward drug treatment center to help them.
Broward Drug Treatment Center Warns of Dangers of Meth
Methamphetamine has been called the world’s most dangerous drug, and here at our Broward drug treatment center, we believe it. That’s because we know how hard it is to overcome a methamphetamine addiction, and we’ve seen how thoroughly this drug can destroy people physically, mentally and emotionally.
All of the methamphetamine addicts we have helped our Broward drug treatment center became addicted the very first time they used meth. Meth addicts typically struggle with addiction for years and many never recover.
Methamphetamine use has a range of dangerous side effects, in both the short and the long-term. Short-term side effects of methamphetamine use include:
- Rapid heart rate
- Twitching, convulsions, and jerking
- Tooth grinding
- Muscle tension
- Aggression
- High blood pressure
- Itchiness, dryness of the skin
- Speech impairments
- Loss of appetite
- Hallucinations
- Open sores
- Paranoia
- Acne
- Insomnia
Over the long term, the side effects of methamphetamine addiction can include:
- Liver damage
- Malnutrition
- Brain damage
- Fatal lung and kidney disease
- Severe weight loss
- Insomnia
- Permanent psychiatric problems
- Stroke
- Lowered immunity
- Coma
- Death
If you or someone you love is struggling with methamphetamine addiction, get help as soon as you realize there is a problem. Only with help from our Broward drug treatment center can you or your loved one recover from methamphetamine addiction, and the sooner you get help, the better your chances. Methamphetamine addiction is powerful, but with prompt treatment recovery is possible.
Call our Broward drug treatment center today at 833-596-3502. Our counselors are waiting to talk to you – 24 hours a day.