Medical examiner sees increase in meth

Gilson says ‘appearance of methamphetamine is disturbing’

Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Thomas Gilson said his office saw an increase in methamphetamine last year.

The rise comes in both crystal methamphetamine and fake ecstasy tablets that are actually methamphetamine.

“Methamphetamine, a powerful stimulant, is becoming more prevalent in the seized drugs we are analyzing,” Gilson said.

“We have not seen an increase in deaths from methamphetamine — our overarching problem there remains the opioids like fentanyl and the re-emergence of cocaine. But the appearance of methamphetamine is disturbing, as it has disastrous effects on people’s personal health and social well-being.”

Gilson’s office had 37 positive tests for crystal meth in 2016, that figure jumped to 181 cases in 2017. His office tested 77 fake ecstasy tablets in 2016 and 135 in 2017.

Ecstasy, known formally as 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and informally

as “E” and “molly,” was not found to be present within the tablets tested, but methamphetamine was.

“As with any illegal drug, there is no regulation or quality control,” the Medical Examiner’s Office stated. “Therefore, someone taking a drug cannot know for sure they are taking what has been advertised to them. Furthermore, they don’t know the potency of the drug, which can lead to serious consequences.”