A new study out of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa found that meth is the leading cause of drug-related deaths among older adults in the state.
Researchers say methamphetamine, a highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system, has been popular among midlife and older adults for decades.
Although possession or distribution of meth is illegal, people who use the drug often either smoke, snort, inject or ingest it.
Treena Becker of UH Mānoa’s Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health Center on Aging said the purpose of the study was to identify the unintentional drug overdoses and the demographics of those fatalities.
Researchers analyzed 263 drug-related deaths recorded across the state between July 2020 and December 2021. They took data from medical certificates, toxicology reports and death investigator narratives.
Then, they organized the deaths by substances — such as fentanyl, opioids and more.
The study concluded that the majority of people between the ages of 50 to 79 died from meth poisoning. More than half of the deaths were people 50 and older.
“We were surprised by the findings,” Becker said
According to the study, meth toxicity accounted for 64.3% of deaths in people ages 50 to 79, compared to just 16.4% from opioid poisoning.
Researchers also found that many of the older descendants had a history of cardiovascular disease, which could have increased the risk of death in meth users.
Becker urged that older adults using meth should seek treatment and talk to their primary care physician.
“Younger people are more willing to admit that they have a problem and seek treatment, but people who are 50 and older are less likely to admit that they have a problem,” she said.
