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Study: Methamphetamine Use is Soaring
Methamphetamine use—both on its own and in combination with other substances—is on the rise, according to data from a recent study by specialty laboratory Millennium Health.
Results from the study were published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine.
Researchers analyzed results from 2 million urine screenings conducted between 2014 and 2019. Among their findings, the overall probability of testing positive for methamphetamine increased 340%. Male SUD treatment center patients between the ages of 25 and 34 in the West North Central region of the country showed the highest positivity rate. Overall nationally, co-positivity for fentanyl, heroin and other opioids reached their highest positivity rates in 2019.
In a release announcing its findings, Millennium Health said the study demonstrates the importance of screening for polysubstance use to tailor treatment plans, and also that the combination of methamphetamine and opioids require new public health messaging that reaches non-opioid users not previously targeted.
