Methamphetamine use is becoming even more deadly as the world heats up. In an in-depth investigation by the Associated Press, journalists Anita Snow and Mary Katherine Wildeman uncover a definitive connection between deaths caused by climate change-fueled heat and the abuse of methamphetamines. In American cities where summer heat is rising due to climate change, methamphetamine use is more dangerous than ever before. Indeed, the combination of soaring temperatures and stimulants is a recipe for a fatal disaster.

As the provider of Substance Use Disorder Treatment Services, Tarzana Treatment Centers (TTC) knows the dangers of methamphetamine use are devastating. In the twenty-first century, meth use is more prevalent than ever before as a substance use disorder (SUD). Cheap to make and highly addictive, methamphetamines are a big business in the United States for the Mexican mafia and indigenous biker gangs. Hence, given the long, languorous days of the summer months, it is not surprising that meth use is a popular substance to abuse.

The Dangers of Methamphetamine Use in Summer

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), meth is showing up as a more significant factor in heat-related deaths. For example, the drug’s effects on the human body become more deadly in combination with extreme heat. According to the AP analysis, “As a stimulant, it increases body temperature, impairs the brain’s ability to regulate body heat and makes it harder for the heart to compensate for extreme heat.”

In a city like Phoenix, hit with 113 straight days of triple-digit heat in 2024, every summer day is a threat. However, people with a substance use disorder never take a day off from substance abuse because of adverse weather conditions. In truth, given an extreme focus on obtaining and using their drug of choice, they ignore such dangers. Hence, they are already in great danger.

However, combining methamphetamine use with climate change-fueled heat often proves fatal. Incredibly, one in five heat-related deaths in recent years involved methamphetamine use. In 2023, officials in Arizona, Texas, Nevada, and California found the drug in nearly a third of heat deaths. Moreover, such a number is a staggering indictment of this looming threat.

The Looming Threat of Methamphetamine Use

From the perspective of TTC, methamphetamine use is dangerous in any context. From a recovery perspective, using meth is not the same as smoking a joint or taking a shot of Tequila. Indeed, you cannot use crystal meth and consider yourself a “Normie,” which means someone who does not have a drug or alcohol problem. Hence, when crystal meth is smoked or injected, a line has been crossed that cannot be ignored.

In the 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), 31% of all drug-related deaths in the United States are caused by stimulants. Recalling that these stimulants speed up the nervous system, increasing the risk is essential. By far, the number one culprit is methamphetamine use. In the first half of 2023, more than 17,000 people died from fatal overdoses related to stimulants.

According to Dr. Aneesh Narang, an emergency medicine physician at Banner University Medical Center in downtown Phoenix, “All of your normal physiological ways of coping with heat are compromised with the use of methamphetamines.” Given such physical compromises, the fatal threat of methamphetamine use is not surprising. The question is how we can save lives and prevent a tragic outcome from worsening.

Tarzana Treatment Centers and Integrated SUD Care

At Tarzana Treatment Centers, we understand and acknowledge the threat. In many cases, methamphetamine use is not about getting high. For unhoused populations, stimulants are sometimes tools to stay awake and alert in shelters or outdoors. Frightened of being robbed, they feel the urgent need to protect what they still own.

In response, TTC provides a safe space to access recovery, including detoxification, primary care medical support, and a bevy of additional services. Without question, methamphetamine use results in damage to a person’s physical health and mental well-being. In conjunction with climate-fueled heat, a bad life experience often becomes fatal. To access integrated SUD care that works in practice, please get in touch with TTC today.