FOR STUDENTS

If you are writing a paper, doing research, or just are curious to learn more about methamphetamine and its effects in the brain, lots of websites and materials are out there to help you. A sampling:

Information from public agencies

The NIDA for Teens site has fact sheets on impacts of various drugs, characteristics of drug abuse/addition, knowledge quizzes, and answer to questions from actual readers to NIDA about drug topics. Also has links to related NIDA materials.

NIDA InfoFacts is a research report on trends in youth drug use with details on use statistics for individual drugs of abuse.

NIDA Goes Back to School lets you order free booklets on many drug-related topics -- some for teens, some directed at parents. Some are in Spanish as well as English.

The NIDA Mind Over Matter magazine series lets you explore the impact of different drugs, including methamphetamine, on your brain and nervous system.

The National Clearinghouse fo Alcohol and Drug Information has government reports and other kinds of publications on drug abuse, including methamphetamine. The Clearinghouse is part of SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which is part of the federal government.

Other information sources

Learn Genetics: The Genetic Science Learning Center at the University of Utah explains the neurobiology and genetics of drug addiction through an exciting animated website showing the actions of different kinds of drugs, the reward pathways in the brain, and other factors influencing addiction. Give it a try!

The Oregon Partnership is an Oregon-based non-profit group funded through grants and donations. It maintains the Youthline (1-877-553-TEEN), a 24-hour confidential crisis line for alcohol and drug abuse and related teen issues. They also publish useful statistical information on drug use in the Portland area and Oregon in general, as well as materials for how to fight drug abuse in your community.

A neuroscientist who's into education put together Neuroscience for Kids, a website that lets you check out topics ranging from what happens in your brain while you sleep to what happens in the brain when someone uses a drug. The site includes a page on methamphetamine and on more general drug issues.

The Society for Neuroscience is a group of scientists who do research and promote public education about the brain and nervous system. They have a 64-page primer on the brain ("Brain Facts," cover photo above) that you can order, and also put out periodic newsletters and reports on different brain issues, including addiction and drugs such as Ecstasy.

Others:

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's meth site is full of useful information and statistics about methamphetamine, its effects, and its use patterns in the United States.

The methamphetamine page of the Partnership for a Drug-free America has personal stories, statistics, and resources about methamphetamine.

The UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs pull together research on many aspects of drug abuse. Their website is a great source of news on the latest meth addiction and treatment studies.

In 2005, a Montana rancher decided to take action on the meth problem he saw in his state. The result was The Montana Meth Project. The site shows how the project has worked to change how teens view meth and has videos of the project's anti-meth ads. The Montana project has now expanded to a national effort known simply as "The Meth Project."