Methamphetamine Isomers And Its Effects On The Central Nervous System

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Methamphetamine Isomers
Methamphetamine consists of two isomers, dextrorotary and levorotary. Numerous studies have shown that of these two, the dextrorotary, or d-methamphetamine, is far more potent. D-methamphetamine can be described as being more potent due to the fact that it is psychoactive and affects the central nervous system, whereas l-methamphetamine will merely increase blood pressure and is actually also used to help with nasal congestion.11 Methamphetamine products can be created in three different forms, pure d-methamphetamine, pure l-methamphetamine, and a racemic mixture of d,l-methamphetamine.11 The racemic mixture is a 50:50 ratio and is more potent than pure l-methamphetamine, but less potent than d-methamphetamine. Due to reagents being harder to obtain now than they used to be, the racemic mixture has become much more common. There are, however, ways that this drug is legally obtainable. Adderall is a therapeutic dose of d-methamphetamine and is used to treat narcolepsy and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).11 Even though those drugs are technically legal substances, they can still lead to criminal charges if not prescribed or are being sold.

Different Charges Methamphetamine has been a difficult illicit drug to decipher where each charge lies in relation to the law. In order to determine what type of charge an individual will receive, analytical techniques must be carried out to determine the purity of the methamphetamine.

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