Report: Meth Crisis Rising Under the Radar Due to Opioid Epidemic

U.S. law enforcement officials, researchers and health workers are battling a meth epidemic that isn't getting the attention it should because of the opioid problem, NBC News reports.

The use of meth has jumped by at least 250 percent since 2011 in Wisconsin while Ohio, Texas, Montana, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Iowa and South Dakota are also battling major resurgence problems concerning the drug.

"All of a sudden, it's everywhere again," said Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel.

Researchers say there are several reasons for the uptick. Drug cartels are effectively penetrating communities, the drug has become cheaper and is stronger, and Mexico's production and trafficking of the drug continues to grow. Meth addiction, unlike opioid addiction, doesn't have a medical treatment.

"We can do therapy and that sort of thing, but we don't have a magic pill," said University of Texas at Austin researcher Jane Maxwell.

"I'm concerned that as all this money goes into treating opioid users, what are we going to do for meth users?"

Meth cases in Wisconsin have tripled in 10 years according to the Wisconsin Statewide Intelligence Center and meth seizures in the U.S. jumped from 7,063 kilograms in 2006 to 44,077 kilograms in 2015 according to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

• Study: Opioids May Kill Half Million Americans in 10 Years
• Tom Price: Don't Just 'Throw Money' at Opioid Crisis