'Methamphetamine is becoming a gateway drug in Turkey'

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Methamphetamine, also known as crystal, fire, ice, or meth colloquially, is a colorless and odorless substance with a strong additive effect.

It is associated with circulatory, respiratory and neurological problems, as well as with many mental health problems such as anxiety, aggression and depression.

The amount of methamphetamine seized in Turkey has significantly increased over the past few years. On May 25, the Ministry of Interior announced that a "record" of 1 ton and 117 kilograms of methamphetamine had been seized.

Assoc. Prof. Vahap Bulut, a psychiatrist in İstanbul, said, "We hear more and more operations of methamphetamine seizure in the news; but we know that this rate has been higher, especially since 2018.

"We know both from seizure rates and the significant increase in the number of patients applying for treatment that methamphetamine use will reach serious levels if measures are not taken urgently."

According to the 2021 European Drug Report, 90 percent of the 9,200 reported methamphetamine clients are concentrated in Czechia, Germany, Slovakia and Turkey, Bulut noted.

"Turkey is, of course, a transit point. It is one of the stops for the substances transferred to Iran, Europe, and Eastern Europe.

"However, what is striking in recent years is that Turkey has become a consumption center rather than a transit point. Under these circumstances, of course, we could not remain as a transit point."

Cheap and easy to find

Bulut further said that methamphetamine has become a "gateway drug" for the young people in the last two years.

"The median age in drug use is about 21. This is higher compared to other substances, such as cigarettes. In terms of substance use, ages between 15 and 25 are a critical threshold for young people. Nine out of 10 people in this age range start smoking.

"Marijuana is one of the gateway substances. When the person cannot get out of that addiction cycle or the social environment where they use the substance, they begin to switch to other substances.

"Normally, we wouldn't view methamphetamine as a gateway drug; however, especially in the last two years, we have been encountering it as a gateway drug."

The reasons for methamphetamine becoming a gateway drug are the ease of access and low prices compared to other substances, noted Bulut.

The authorities should take action to curb the use of methamphetamine, Bulut said. "Everyone, especially the state, should work hard on this issue. A generation is almost being destroyed because of methamphetamine's destructive and deadly effects." (TY/VK)