The first time that Edgar Estrada used methamphetamine at 13 years when a boy he knew offered them to him, he did not even know how he returned home. “For the next three days, I felt depressed, as if with a vacuum, I was not hungry and could not sleep.”
He did not try the glass again until 21 years. “I started once a month, until two years ago, I started using it almost daily. When I tried them, I felt like my problems would go away and I would forget them, but actually I was more and more depressed. ”
And he reveals that he felt bad because he used the glass in his parents’ house , Mexican immigrants, without them noticing.
The addiction to glass began to take its toll. “I felt super tired, paranoid and distrustful of everyone.”
To make matters worse, they detected HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) with which his health situation was complicated.
According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, with the consumption of crystal comes a very high risk of developing other diseases and disorders such as schizophrenia, dental problems, low birth weight, hepatitis C, psychosis, depression, stroke, suicide attempts, heart failure and HIV .
And further they indicate that the 66% of people who had problems with this drug in 2017, they used it before or after sex. Another risk for those addicted to glass is that the rates of sexual diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and herpes increase with the consumption of this drug.
When a few months ago, he moved from San Diego to Los Angeles, Edgar of 30 year old, decided make a life change of 180 degrees and sought help to quit methamphetamine. “Without a support network it is very difficult for one to be able to leave the glass.”
The use of methamphetamine has increased dramatically in Los Angeles. In the 2020, its use increased by 23%, as reported by The Wall Las Memorias, a community health and wellness organization dedicated to serving Latino populations, LGBTQ and other underserved groups, through education
Senator Dianne Feinstein mentioned in a recent interview that in 2017, the 44% of Overdose deaths in Los Angeles County were related to methamphetamine.
According to The Wall Las Memorias, methamphetamine use has become an epidemic mortal; and it is urgent to do something to fight against it, especially when most of the people who in 2019 sought treatment for methamphetamine addiction in Los Angeles County, were Latinos in 63%.
Estrada says that among Latinos addicted to methamphetamine, It is very common to get carried away by pride and say, “I can do it alone, I don’t need help.”
“I am going to the groups of Crystal Anonymous , and now that I am clean and not dependent on meth, I feel like I have won the lottery and I am a millionaire. ”
Last year, The Wall Las Memorias launched the ‘Act Now Against Meth Campaign’ to tackle this epidemic in Los Angeles County.
Together with other organizations and community partners they work on raising awareness and developing recommen Provides for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to better address crystal use. And his goal is to build a community coalition to work in partnership with the county to end this addiction and its negative impact on our communities.
Richard Zaldívar, founder and president of The Wall Las Memorias, affirms that we are seeing an increase in the use of crystal associated with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid narcotic, highly addictive.
“We need more prevention and education for the community, as there are not many treatments.”
It shows that the addiction of glass among Latinos has been present for many years. “Many gay and bisexual people use it to enhance the sexual experience and because they think that sex is better with drugs.”
However, he mentions that it is also observed among heterosexual men, sex workers and people coming out of prisons. “And we are seeing a lot of glass among the homeless; and prices have increased in the street, which shows us that there is a high demand. ”
Despite the increase in consumption, there is no precise data on the levels of addiction in the different groups ethnic because the authorities have not put the focus on it, says Zaldívar.
“Senator Feinstein wants to set up an office focused on methamphetamines. It is very important to educate ourselves about these drugs that are very addictive and can kill us. ”
Information from the Department of Health Los Angeles Public reveals that methamphetamine emergency room visits are primarily by Latino men among the Y 34 year old; and hospitalizations correspond to Latinos from 35 to 54 years.