National Alliance For Drug Endangered Children

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Identifying methamphetamine exposure in children

Marisol S. Castaneto, M.S., Allan J. Barnes, B.Sc., Karl B. Scheidweiler, Ph.D., Michael Schaffer, Ph.D., Kristen K. Rogers, M.D., Deborah Stewart, M.D., and Marilyn A. Huestis, Ph.D. – 2014

Methamphetamine (MAMP) use, distribution and manufacture remain a serious public health and safety problem in the United States, and children environmentally exposed to MAMP face a myriad of developmental, social and health risks, including severe abuse and neglect necessitating child protection involvement. It is recommended that drug-endangered children receive medical evaluation and care with documentation of overall physical and mental conditions and have urine drug testing.1 The primary aim of this study was to determine the best biological matrix to detect MAMP, amphetamine (AMP), methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA) in environmentally exposed children.