Crystal meth warning after record Cork seizure of 'America's most dangerous drug'

A teenage girl smoking crystal meth by 'cooking' it in a pipe in Queens, New York. Experts have told the 'Irish Examiner' that meth is relatively rare in Ireland but warn that it could become a major issue. File picture: Scott Houston/Sygma/Corbis

Nicknamed ‘America’s most dangerous drug’, methamphetamine or crystal meth is a highly addictive and destructive drug that has laid waste to many US communities, with mortality rates increasing 50-fold between 1999 and 2021, from 608 to 52,397.

Its use has led to huge increases in petty and serious crime in several US states, most of them in poorer regions, with public health experts saying there are no signs of it abating.