U.N.: Methamphetamine biggest drug worry

GENEVA, Switzerland, March 1 (UPI) -- A United Nations drug official is warning that methamphetamine use is poised to become a global "pandemic" unless laws against its manufacture are tightened.

Dr. Hamid Ghodse, president of the International Narcotics Control Board, said crystal meth was now regarded as the No. 1 drug problem in North America.

"It has not yet affected that much of Western European countries and (Britain) but, as we know, as drug misuse occurs in North America, sooner or later it gets here," he said. "Methamphetamine is today's problem drug."

He said governments should begin screening all incoming and outgoing mail to combat "drugs by post" scams.

The synthetic drug was first developed in 1919 to help soldiers stay awake. Widely used now in nightclubs, it can produce a 10-hour high and increased sexual arousal. It is relatively simple to make from household products using a basic school chemistry set, The Guardian reported.

It is also known as ice, meth, tina and Nazi crank, based on a rumor Adolph Hitler injected it twice a day.