These are potent stimulant drugs that, like cocaine, excite or speed up the central nervous system. Some are manufactured by pharmaceutical companies for medical use, while most are manufactured by illegal labs for non-medical purposes. Amphetamines, also referred to as amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), were developed in the 1920s to treat depression and obesity, but stringent controls have greatly reduced medical use in Canada. The most common forms of ATS drugs are:

• Dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine® sometimes called dexies) is available as a capsule and tablet, and can be taken orally, smoked or injected intravenously.
• Methamphetamine (Desoxyn®, called speed, crystal, meth, ice, or crank) is available as a powder and can be taken orally, smoked or injected.
• Methcathinone, cathinone or variations, (called cat) is a white or off-white powder made from ephedrine or pseudo-ephedrine mixed with commercial products such as battery acid, lye, and paint thinner. It can be snorted, taken orally mixed with liquids such as coffee or soft drinks, smoked in crack pipes or mixed with tobacco or marijuana cigarettes, or injected.

These substances have only limited medical application because of their abuse and harm potential. In Canada, they are used in the treatment of narcolepsy, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and Parkinson's Disease.

Current information on rates of non-medical stimulant use in the general Canadian population is not available; however it is likely relatively low. In 2004, 6.4% of Canadians 15 years and older reported ever using speed or amphetamines. Among Canadian high school populations, rates of past-year use of amphetamines range from 6.2% to 11%, while rates of past-year non-medical Ritalin® (methylphenidate) use range from 2.8% to 7.5%. About 4% of Ontario students report using methamphetamine (i.e., speed) in the past year, with a much smaller number using ice (a smokable form of methamphetamine). Less than 2% of Canadian university students reported past-year use of methamphetamines.

These substances are powerful stimulants with effects similar to cocaine. Effects of each drug may vary somewhat, but at low doses they generally include increased alertness and energy, a feeling of well-being, decreased appetite, rapid heart beat and breathing, increased blood pressure, sweating, dilated pupils, and dry mouth. A person may become talkative, restless or excited, or may feel powerful, superior, aggressive or hostile, or may behave in a bizarre, repetitive fashion.

Very large doses produce flushing, very rapid or irregular heart beat, tremors, severe paranoia, and frightening hallucinations. Death can result from use as a consequence of burst blood vessels in the brain, heart failure, or very high fever. Violence, accidental or otherwise, is the leading cause of amphetamine-related deaths.

Chronic heavy users may develop malnutrition or amphetamine psychosis, a mental illness similar to paranoid schizophrenia. They may be prone to violence. People who use these tablets and capsules to prepare injectable mixtures are at risk of infection from contaminated injecting equipment, and damage to the kidneys, lungs and brain as a result of tablet particles entering the bloodstream. Withdrawal symptoms among newborn infants of mothers using amphetamines have been reported.

Chronic use results in tolerance to the euphoric and appetite-suppressant effects. Regular use of amphetamine-type stimulants at high doses can produce very powerful psychological dependence and extremely compulsive patterns of use. Withdrawal symptoms include fatigue, long but disturbed sleep, hunger on awakening, irritability, depression and violence.

In Canada, amphetamines and their variations are governed by the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (Schedule III). Possession is subject to a fine of up to $1,000 or imprisonment for up to six months, or both (summary conviction). Penalties increase for subsequent offences and with larger amounts in possession (i.e., trafficking can bring imprisonment for up to 10 years).

Sources

Canadian Addiction Survey (CAS): A National Survey of Canadians' Use of Alcohol and Other Drugs: Prevalence of Use and Related Harms: Highlights
Ottawa, ON: Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA), 2004.

Canadian campus survey 1998
Gliksman, Louis; Demers, Andrée; Adlaf, Edward M.; et al.
Toronto, ON: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 2000.

Straight facts about drugs and drug abuse
Ottawa, ON: Public Works and Government Services Canada, 2000.

Student/Adolescent Alcohol & Drug Use Statistics