<p><font face="Times New Roman"> <p align="left">The aims of this study were therefore to describe the personal experiences of a methamphetamine addict as well as the effects of this addiction on the family&rsquo / s communication and problem-solving abilities.</p> </font></p>

The aim of this study was to explore school learners’ perceptions of the factors that influence methamphetamine use in Manenberg. To meet this aim, three objectives were proposed namely, to explore school learners’ knowledge and understandings of methamphetamine use / to explore school learners’ perceptions of methamphetamine and its uses and / to explore school learners’ perceptions of the factors that influence methamphetamine use. Methamphetamine use amongst adolescents has become an increasing concern internationally and globally, with Cape Town’s level of methamphetamine users being substantially higher compared to other parts of South Africa. The study was thus important as it firstly, permitted the understanding of adolescents’ knowledge of methamphetamine and its uses in a lower socioeconomic status community, secondly, permitted the understanding of adolescents perceptions of the contributing factors of meth use, and thirdly, by knowing and understanding their viewpoints, key focus areas were recommended for intervention and prevention programs in an attempt to decrease the high drug rate in South Africa.

The abuse of stimulant drugs, such as methamphetamine (METH), has become a major source of public concern in New Zealand. Specific medications for treating METH addiction are not available at present. The newly discovered trace amine- associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) constitutes a novel receptor target for medication development in neuropsychiatry. TAAR1 regulates monoamine systems in the brain, especially dopamine, and is activated directly by psychomotor stimulants, including METH. This study examined the effects of the newly developed TAAR1 partial agonist, RO5203648, in rat models of METH abuse. In experiment 1 rats were administered different doses of RO5203648 (0, 1.67, 5mg/kg i.p.) followed by METH (0, 0.75, 2mg/kg i.p.). Locomotor activity was monitored via automated video tracking system in an open field. The results revealed that RO5203648 dose- dependently reduced acute METH-induced stimulation and prevented long-term sensitization following chronic exposure. Paradoxically, in experiment 2, RO5203648 and METH treatment increased c-Fos protein expression in the nucleus accumbens and dorsal striatum. In experiment 3 rats were trained to consistently self-administer METH (0.5mg/kg/infusion) and were then pre-treated with RO5203648 (0, 3, 10mg/kg i.p.). The data showed that RO5203648 drastically reduced METH intake. Next, RO5203648 was substituted (0.25, 0.5, 1.0 mg/kg/infusion) for METH in the same paradigm. Remarkably, RO5203648 exhibited no reinforcing efficacy compared with METH. Taken together, these observations showed that RO5203648 is able to attenuate METH-related behaviours, including locomotor stimulation, sensitization and self-administration, and highlight the great potential of TAAR1-based medications for the treatment of METH addiction.

<p><font face="Times New Roman"> <p align="left">The aims of this study were therefore to describe the personal experiences of a methamphetamine addict as well as the effects of this addiction on the family&rsquo / s communication and problem-solving abilities.</p> </font></p>

The aim of this study was to explore school learners’ perceptions of the factors that influence methamphetamine use in Manenberg. To meet this aim, three objectives were proposed namely, to explore school learners’ knowledge and understandings of methamphetamine use / to explore school learners’ perceptions of methamphetamine and its uses and / to explore school learners’ perceptions of the factors that influence methamphetamine use. Methamphetamine use amongst adolescents has become an increasing concern internationally and globally, with Cape Town’s level of methamphetamine users being substantially higher compared to other parts of South Africa. The study was thus important as it firstly, permitted the understanding of adolescents’ knowledge of methamphetamine and its uses in a lower socioeconomic status community, secondly, permitted the understanding of adolescents perceptions of the contributing factors of meth use, and thirdly, by knowing and understanding their viewpoints, key focus areas were recommended for intervention and prevention programs in an attempt to decrease the high drug rate in South Africa.

Methamphetamine interacts with vesicular monoamine transporter-2 (VMAT2) to inhibit dopamine (DA) uptake and promotes DA release from presynaptic vesicles, increasing cytosolic DA available for methamphetamine-induced reverse transport by DA transporters. By inhibiting VMAT2, lobelane, a defunctionalized, saturated lobeline analog, decreases methamphetamine-evoked DA release and methamphetamine self-administration in rats. In this dissertation structure-activity relationships around the lobelane structure were investigated on racemic lobelane analogs with varying methylene linker lengths at central piperidine ring. Affinity for dihydrotetrabenazine (DTBZ) sites on VMAT2 and for inhibition of VMAT2 function was determined to be 0.88-63 and 0.024-4.6 µM, respectively, and positively correlated. The most potent and selective analog, (±)-cis-2-benzyl-6-(3-phenylpropyl)piperidine [(±)-GZ-730B], for VMAT2 uptake was identified as the lead. The ability of (±)-GZ-730B to inhibit methamphetamine-evoked [3H]DA release from striatal synaptic vesicles and endogenous DA release from striatal slices was determined. The lead analog-induced inhibition of methamphetamine-evoked vesicular [3H]DA release did not translate to inhibition of methamphetamine-evoked DA release in the more intact striatal slices. Moreover, poor water solubility of these lobelane analogs prohibited further in vivo work. Subsequent work focused on analogs with the C-3 and C-4 carbons in the piperidine ring eliminated to afford racemic acyclic lobelane analogs. Generally, acyclic analogs exhibited greater water solubility and less lipophilicity compared to lobelane. Acyclic analogs exhibited affinities (Ki = 0.096-17 μM) for [3H]DTBZ sites that correlated positively with affinity (Ki = 3.3-300 nM) for inhibition of [3H]DA uptake. Pure enantiomers of potent racemic analogs were synthesized, and found to potently, selectively, and competitively inhibit [3H]DA uptake at VMAT2 and to release vesicular [3H]DA in a biphasic manner. Lead enantiomer (R)-N-(1-phenylpropan-2-yl)-3-phenylpropan-1-amine [(R)-GZ-924] inhibited methamphetamine-evoked [3H]DA release from striatal synaptic vesicles, but not from the more intact striatal slices. Surprisingly, (R)-GZ-924 inhibited nicotine-evoked [3H]DA overflow from striatal slices, revealing nonspecific effects. Importantly, (R)-GZ-924 inhibited methamphetamine self-administration in rats. However, the analog also inhibited food-maintained responding, revealing a lack of specificity. The lead analog will not be pursued further as a pharmacotherapy due to the lack of specificity. Further evaluation of the pharmacophore is needed to discover analogs which specifically inhibit the neurochemical and behavioral effect of methamphetamine.

Translational research suggests that agonist replacement may be a viable treatment approach for managing methamphetamine dependence. This study sought to determine the effects of d-amphetamine maintenance on methamphetamine self-administration in stimulant using participants. A cognitive battery was used to determine the performance effects of methamphetamine alone and during d-amphetamine maintenance. During each maintenance condition, participants first sampled a dose of intranasal methamphetamine then had the opportunity to respond on a progressive ratio task to earn portions of the sampled dose. Subject-rated drug-effect and physiological measures were completed prior to and after sampling methamphetamine. Methamphetamine was self-administered as function of dose regardless of the maintenance condition. Methamphetamine produced prototypical subject-rated effects, some of which were attenuated by d-amphetamine maintenance. Methamphetamine was well tolerated during d-amphetamine maintenance and no adverse events occurred. The self-administration results are concordant with those of clinical trials that show d-amphetamine did not reduce methamphetamine use. Generally, there was no difference in cognitive performance after methamphetamine administration during both placebo and d-amphetamine maintenance. Overall d-amphetamine does not appear to be a viable treatment for preventing methamphetamine relapse, but translational literature suggests that other agonist medications or the combination of pharmacotherapy and behavioral therapies may be effective.

Anthropologists have written about illicit drug use in the Western cultural context since the 1960s and recent years have seen an increased interest. At the same time, young people have become a significant “risk group” in public health efforts to reduce illicit drug use. In particular, youth living or spending time on the street have been the target of interventions. The following thesis describes youth connected to one such intervention in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Youth connected to Bridging the Gap: A Citizen Engagement Initiative in the Interests of Crystal Meth Prevention, Education and Intervention are described in terms of demographic characteristics, health and substance use. They are compared with youth from another study of street-involved youth in the area (Risky Business: Experiences of Street Youth) and a random sample of youth in Victoria (the Healthy Youth Survey). Data were collected in 39 survey-based interviews and 3 qualitative interviews.

This thesis, presented as a collection of articles, journalistic in its tone, is titled "Menace or Moral Panic? Methamphetamine and the New Zealand Press". Within the collection, evidence and background information is presented that supports a claim that a moral panic fitting Stanley Cohen's classic model occurred between 1999 and 2004.This moral panic was also identified using Stuart Hall's definition of a moral panic outlined in his mugging study published in 1978 as well as the more contemporary model of Goode and Ben-Yehuda (1994). Jock Young's theory of The Deviance Amplification Spiral is also addressed and can be applied to this collection when considering the close 'symbiotic' relationship that our press here in New Zealand have with our police force. In looking at this particular subject it is vital that we look at how drugs and drug use play a role in the media. Also as part of the backgrounding for this collection it was of critical importance to find whether a moral panic happened anywhere else in the world in relation to methamphetamine. Two previous moral panics about methamphetamine are featured in this collection as part of a case study presented in "Ancient Anecdotes meet Modernity: Drugs and the Rise of Methamphetamine" in which between the years of 1989 and 1996 America passed through two moral panics brought on to a considerable extent by a mixture of media hype and political opportunism. By including a foreign case study we can begin to see how the New Zealand methamphetamine situation had similarities to the American example, making identification of New Zealand's moral panic more definitive. Giving verification to the claims, a lengthy analysis of twenty-five samples from the New Zealand press is also featured in this collection. By looking at the way the stories from the samples developed identification of the various stages of the moral panic become more visible. The last article in this collection investigates, using expert interviews, if there is enough evidence to support the claim that methamphetamine may be a menace to New Zealand society, but that the extent of that menace may be exaggerated by a moral panic brought on by our media and fuelled by our police force.

abstract: Children removed from methamphetamine laboratories are a severely understudied population despite the widespread deprivation parental methamphetamine abuse has on children, particularly in homes where methamphetamine is produced. Arizona's children are uniquely affected by the use and manufacturing of methamphetamine due to the geographic location and landscape of the state. A sample of 144 children removed from their homes during the seizure of methamphetamine laboratories, as part of the Arizona Drug Endangered Children program between 1999 and 2003, was investigated. Results indicate that younger children were more likely to be reported by Child Protective Services as high or moderate risk of further abuse, test positive for methamphetamine, and have maternal alleged perpetrators of abuse. Older children were more likely to be reported as low risk for further abuse, test negative for methamphetamine, and have paternal alleged perpetrators of abuse. Results also show that children initially placed in foster care were more likely to remain in foster care at the final assessment than to be living with a parent or kin. These findings have implications for individuals working with children removed from methamphetamine laboratories, including Child Protective Services case workers, medical personnel, temporary and permanent child caregivers (i.e., foster care, kin care, adoptive parents, and shelters), and community members (i.e., teachers). Recommendations based on study findings are offered to child and family advocates and interventionists. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Family and Human Development 2011