Shake and Bake: Internet Retrieved Methamphetamine Recipe Analysis

• In Event: Drug Dealing Markets, Networks, and the Internet

Abstract

The production of methamphetamine, an addictive central nervous system stimulant that acts by releasing dopamine, has risen over the past decade. The drug is synthesized in clandestine laboratories in which improper handling of chemicals can lead to explosions, fire and other public health and security threats. Production of methamphetamine has been studied with data from court judgments and interviews from methamphetamine producers. This previous work has failed to detail the steps used to synthesize the drug. Thus, this work will provide more information on methamphetamine production by analyzing the recipes found on the Internet which is data often forgotten by criminologists. This research is done by collecting recipes online using key words like: meth recipe, meth, shake and bake, speed recipe, meth synthesis and more. An analyzing grid is used on these recipes following qualitative methodology. Knowing how methamphetamine is produced will help the evaluation of the governments’ prevention strategies and will guide the suggestion of strategies that are more suited. The evolution of the recipe shows the criminals’ adaptation to the new laws.

Author

• Sabrina Vidal, Université de Montréal