Methamphetamine use and Violence

Abstract

The current research analyzed the relationship between methamphetamine use and violence. Interviews were conducted with a sample of 205 respondents. The research was based on life history interviews with individuals who used methamphetamine for a minimum of three months and who resided in Los Angeles County. Of the 205 respondents, 55 (26.8%) had committed violence while under the influence of methamphetamine. Males comprised two thirds of the 55 respondents (N=36). Of the total sample, 30% of males and 23% of females committed methamphetamine-related violence, respectively. Overall, the 55 respondents reported 80 separate violent events while using methamphetamine. Of these 80 events, 41 (51.4%) acts of violence involved domestic relationships, 28.6% (N=23) of the violent events were drug related, 8.6% (N=7) were gang related, and 11.3% (N=9) involved random acts of violence (e.g., road rage, stranger assault). The study findings suggest that methamphetamine use heightens the risk for violence. Everyone interviewed agreed that methamphetamine has clear abuse and violence potential. Having said this, it is crucial to state that there was no evidence of a single, uniform career path that all chronic methamphetamine users follow. Progression from controlled use to addiction is not inexorable. Furthermore, a significant number of sample members experienced limited or no serious social, psychological, or physical dysfunction as a result of their methamphetamine use. Most germane to this study, we found that violence is not an inevitable outcome of even chronic methamphetamine use.