The Open Addiction Journal
2009, 2 : 30-33Published online 2009 October 30. DOI: 10.2174/1874941000902010030
Publisher ID: TOADDJ-2-30
The Validity of Street Terms Used to Monitor the Australian Methamphetamine Market
ABSTRACT
Aim:
To validate the street terminology used to describe the various forms of methamphetamine used in Australia, namely speed (powder methamphetamine), base (a damp or oily product) and crystal meth or ice (crystalline methamphetamine).
Materials and Methodology:
Regular methamphetamine users (N = 309) were asked which form of methamphetamine they took on their last use occasion, and this was coded as: (a) speed/powder, (b) base, (c) crystal/ice or (d) other. Participants were then asked to identify which form of methamphetamine they used from an identification sheet that included photographs of each form of the drug. Receiver Operating Characteristics were used to determine the concordance between street terms and photographs of each form of methamphetamine.
Results:
Street terms identified each respective form of methamphetamine in at least 85% of cases. However, these terms were more accurate in identifying crystalline methamphetamine (specificity 97%, sensitivity 93%) than other forms of the drug (speed/powder: specificity 92%, sensitivity 89%; base: specificity 92%, sensitivity 65%). This typology missed 12% of methamphetamine use occasions.
Conclusions:
Street terminology can accurately identify crystalline methamphetamine in Australia, but caution is needed when using the terms speed and base to monitor these respective forms of the drug.