This transformation can easily be made in small clandestine laboratories from readily available store-bought supplies and equipment, and the internet now abounds with recipes for turning decongestant tablets into clear, crystal chunks of Meth, which can be smoked, snorted, or injected.

Crystal Meth is now the most prevalent synthetic drug manufactured in the United States. Some countries are reported to have increased importation of cold medication by hundreds of tonnes in the past five years, while legitimate demands for use by cold and asthma sufferers have grown much more slowly.

The effects of methamphetamine are similar to those of cocaine, but longer lasting. It can cause erratic, violent behavior among its users. Effects include suppressed appetite, interference with sleeping behavior, mood swings and unpredictability, tremors and convulsions, increased blood pressure, and irregular heart rate. Long-term effects can include coma, stroke, or death.

Effects on society reach far beyond the methamphetamine drug addict. The economic cost of treatment and rehabilitation is very large for addictive substances, and a trail of domestic violence, theft, and other violent acts are not uncommon for hardcore methamphetamine users. Crystal Meth labs, often found in garages or the basements of homes, pose dangers from explosions, fires, and unsafe storage of materials and synthetic apparatus. Each kilogram of finished methamphetamine produces about five kilograms of toxic environmental waste material, which is usually dumped in unsafe areas, as proper disposal would trigger the identification of a clandestine laboratory.