How to Make Meth: Meth Production & Its Dangers

Meth (methamphetamine) is a powerful and dangerous drug that continues to devastate lives across the United States. The meth production process is risky, harmful, and illegal, and the chemicals used in the meth recipe are toxic. Beyond this, the drug itself is fiercely addictive—2.6 million U.S. adults used meth in 2023, with 1.75 million developing an addiction in the same year [1].

This page outlines how meth is made, what’s in meth, and the dangers associated with its production and use. You’ll also learn about the efforts to stop meth production in the United States and why it remains a pressing concern nationwide. 

Who Invented Meth?

Methamphetamine was created in 1893 by a Japanese scientist named Nagayoshi Nagai [2]. He discovered it while working with a chemical called ephedrine, a plant-derived substance. Scientists were looking for ways to make medications that could help with breathing problems, fatigue, and weight loss. 

In 1919, another Japanese scientist—Akira Ogata—improved the process of making meth. He turned it into a crystalline form, making it easier to use. During WWII, soldiers were given meth to help them stay awake and alert during long battles. This led to many servicemen becoming addicted. 

After the war, meth use spread beyond the military. People used it to lose weight, fight tiredness, and improve their mood. By the 1950s and 1960s, meth misuse started to become a major problem, particularly in the United States. As illicit production commenced, the drug became even more dangerous and addictive. 

Today, meth is made in clandestine labs using toxic chemicals. The invention that once had medical purposes turned into a drug that destroys lives and ravages communities. 

Is All Meth Made in a Meth Lab?

While much meth is made in large, underground labs, it can also be produced in smaller setups which are even more dangerous. These smaller operations are known as one-pot labs or shake-and-bake labs, and producers use everyday items like cold medicines, plastic bottles, and chemicals from household cleaners to make the drug. This method is especially risky because the chemicals are highly flammable and prone to exploding. Explosions in these operations can be triggered by opening a bottle too quickly or shaking it too vigorously. 

Meth production can also happen outside labs, in places like: 

• Cars or trucks
• Hotel rooms
• Houses and apartments
• Forests or fields

Meth production can release toxic fumes that can harm anyone nearby, and they also leave behind waste that poisons the surrounding environment.

 

How Much Meth Is Produced in the United States Each Year?

Meth production in the United States has changed dramatically over the years. In the early 2000s, thousands of small meth labs were scattered across the country. There were 23,000 reported meth lab incidents in 2004 alone [3]. These meth labs were mainly found in rural areas, where it was easier to hide the production process. 

However, after the 2005 Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act, it became harder to buy cold medications containing pseudoephedrine, a core component of the meth recipe [4]. The enactment of this act led to a sharp reduction in the number of U.S. meth labs—in 2019, fewer than 1,000 meth lab incidents were reported. 

Regrettably, this didn’t stop meth production. Most meth now comes from superlabs in Mexico. These sprawling operations can produce hundreds of pounds of meth daily, typically of 95% to 99% purity, making the drug more potent and addictive than ever before. 

DEA (United States Drug Enforcement Administration) reports that the amount of meth seized at the U.S.-Mexico border increased from 9,000 pounds in 2010 to over 80,000 pounds in 2018. So, while U.S—based meth production is in decline, the overall supply of methamphetamine is growing. 

How Successful Has Law Enforcement Been in Stopping Meth Production?

Law enforcement has worked hard to stop meth production in the U.S. Since the enactment of the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act, people must show ID when buying cold medications with pseudoephedrine and stored keep track of who buys it. 

These efforts have helped reduce the number of meth labs in the U.S., while at the same time reducing the number of meth lab incidents reported nationwide. Police also ran awareness campaigns to teach the public how to recognize meth labs, prompting more people to report suspicious activity and helping law enforcement shut down even more labs. 

That said, production largely shifted to Mexican superlabs because of these clampdowns. Now, police and border control agents work to seize meth before it reaches U.S. communities. 

Despite these successes, then, meth production remains problematic. Smugglers continually find new ways to bring meth into the United States, and the drug is still cheap and easy to obtain—the battle is ongoing. 

What Is Meth Made Of?

Meth is made using common items and it might seem easy to produce, but the process is complex, harmful, and illegal. Many chemicals used in its production are poisonous or flammable, and most are not intended for human consumption. 

Meth Ingredients

For those curious about how meth is made, it combines the following ingredients: 

• Pseudoephedrine: This substance is found in many common cold and allergy medicines, which can be purchased over the counter. This is the core ingredient used to make meth.
• Acetone: A chemical found in paint thinner or nail polish remover, acetone is highly flammable and toxic if inhaled.
• Anhydrous ammonia: This ingredient is used in cleaning products and fertilizers. It can burn the skin, eyes, and lungs, making it dangerous for anyone making the drug.
• Red phosphorus: Found in matches and road flares, red phosphorus can explode if improperly handled.
• Sulfuric acid (battery acid): A strong and corrosive acid found in car batteries, sulfuric acid can cause severe burns.
• Lithium: Lithium is found in batteries and can react violently with water. This ingredient is potentially explosive, too.
• Ether: Ether is found in cleaning products and engine starters. It’s highly flammable and responsible for many fires in meth labs.
• Hydrochloric acid: Used in cleaning products, hydrochloric acid can burn the skin and damage the lungs if it’s inhaled.
• Toluene: Found in pain thinner and brake fluid, toluene can cause brain damage if inhaled.
• Freon: Freon is used in air conditioners and can cause lung damage and cardiovascular complications. 

Ingredients used in the crystal meth recipe are dangerous in isolation. When mixed to make meth, they create a toxic mixture that can harm the people making it and using it, as well as those near the labs where it’s created. The waste products left behind from making meth can damage the environment, poisoning soil, and water supplies. 

How Is Crystal Meth Made?

Crystal meth is made using a process that involves mixing, cooking, and filtering chemicals to produce pure methamphetamine crystals. Here’s how meth is made: 

1. Extracting pseudoephedrine: The process normally starts with cold or allergy medicines containing pseudoephedrine. The pills are crushed, and the pseudoephedrine is extracted using chemicals like acetone or alcohol.
2. Mixing chemicals: The extracted pseudoephedrine is mixed with chemicals like lithium, red phosphorus, and anhydrous ammonia. This process transforms the substance into methamphetamine.
3. Cooking the mixture: The mixture is heated to accelerate the chemical reaction. This step is dangerous due to the flammability and explosive nature of the chemicals used. Toxic fumes are released, harming anyone in the vicinity.
4. Filtering the product: After cooking, the mixture is filtered to remove unwanted chemicals. Acetone and ether are used to wash the mixture.
5. Crystallizing the meth: The final step involves crystallizing the meth. The mixture is reheated and, as it cools, meth crystals form. These crystals are the finished product known as crystal meth. 

The process is so dangerous because of the chemicals and heating involved—do not attempt to make methamphetamine. People who make the drug often experience skin, lung, and eye damage after exposure to the harmful fumes created during production. 

Making Methamphetamine Without Pseudoephedrine

Since laws have made it much more challenging for people to buy pseudoephedrine, some producers have started using alternative methods and different chemicals to make crystal meth without using cold medicines. These methods are equally dangerous, though, and sometimes even riskier. 

One method—the P2P method (phenyl-2-propane)—involves the following chemicals instead of pseudoephedrine [5]: 

• Phenylacetic acid: A chemical used in flavors and perfumes.
• Aluminum or mercury: Metals that help with the chemical reaction required to make meth.
• Methylamine: A toxic chemical widely used in fertilizers and pesticides.

These chemicals are mixed and cooked to produce meth, much like the process used to turn pseudoephedrine into methamphetamine. This method is routinely used in Mexican superlabs because the chemicals are easy to get in large amounts.

The shake-and-bake method is employed in small meth labs where the drug is made in plastic bottles. Ingredients are mixed, shaken, and heated inside the bottle. This method is popular because it’s cheap and easy to hide, but it’s also dangerous—the bottle can explode easily from the pressure of the chemicals. 

So, making meth without pseudoephedrine still involves toxic and flammable chemicals. Regardless of how the drug is made, the process is illegal and dangerous, and it should not be attempted under any circumstances. The risk of explosions, fires, and poisoning is always present, and the end product is an addictive substance that wrecks lives, families, and communities. 

Risks of Cooking Meth

Cooking meth is remarkably dangerous due to the toxic chemicals involved. Here are some of the main risks involved in the production process of this Schedule II controlled drug:

• Fires and explosions: Many of the chemicals used to make meth are highly flammable. If they are heated too much or mixed incorrectly, they can catch fire or explode, leading to burns, injuries, and death.
• Toxic fumes: The process of making meth releases poisonous gases. It can be damaging to the eyes, skin, and lungs to breathe in these fumes. People who live near a meth lab may also be impacted by these fumes in the atmosphere.
• Chemical burns: Ingredients like ammonia, battery acid, and hydrochloric acid can cause severe burns if they touch the skin. These chemicals can also damage the eyes and lead to blindness.
• Environmental damage: Cooking meth creates a lot of toxic waste. For every pound of meth made, 5 to 6 pounds of waste products are left behind. This waste can seep easily into the soil and water, harming people, plants, and animals. Cleaning up this waste is dangerous and costly.
• Health problems: People who make meth are often exposed to damaging chemicals. This can provoke health complications like breathing problems, headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, skin rashes, and burns.
• Legal consequences: Making meth is illegal. Serious charges can stem from being caught with the chemicals used to make the drug. People can face lengthy jail sentences and heavy fines if caught producing crystal methamphetamine.
• Danger to others: Meth labs are often found in houses, apartments, and hotels. This puts everyone nearby at risk. Explosions, fires, and toxic fumes can harm children, neighbors, and first responders. 

Cooking meth is never worth the risk. The dangers to health, safety, and the environment are simply too high, and the product yielded is a deadly drug that’s damaging to physical and mental health. If you or someone you love is entangled with methamphetamine, seek help immediately—recovery is possible with the right evidence-based therapies. 

Get Substance Abuse Help at California Detox

If you need help for yourself or someone you love dealing with meth addiction, call California Detox. We treat meth addictions and mental health conditions at our luxury beachside facility in Laguna Beach, CA. 

Many meth addictions require a medically supervised detox as the withdrawal process is a delicate phase and requires the utmost care and attention. Find compassionate and effective support at California Detox. We offer 24/7 clinical and emotional care, and you can easily transition from detox to our top-notch inpatient care.   

We believe all addictions are unique and require attentive treatment plans suitable to your specific needs. Our therapies include: 

• Counseling
• Talk therapies
• Group therapy
• Motivational therapies
• Family therapy
• Holistic therapies
• Medication-assisted treatment
• Aftercare 

End Meth addiction and begin your recovery by calling California Detox at 888-995-4208  

Sources

[1] https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt47100/NSDUHDetailedTabs2023/NSDUHDetailedTabs2023/2023-nsduh-detailed-tables-sect5pe.htm 

[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/methamphetamine

[3] https://rockinst.org/blog/the-second-wave-of-the-methamphetamine-epidemic/

[4] https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-drug-class/legal-requirements-sale-and-purchase-drug-products-containing-pseudoephedrine-ephedrine-and

[5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2468170918301061