2023 analysis shows methamphetamine involvement in nearly a third of heat-related deaths in Arizona, Texas, Nevada, and California.

An Associated Press analysis indicates that methamphetamine is increasingly linked to heat-related deaths in the U.S., with about one in five such fatalities involving the drug. In 2023, meth was found in nearly a third of heat deaths in Arizona, Texas, Nevada, and California. As a stimulant, meth raises body temperature and impairs heat regulation, making it particularly dangerous amid rising temperatures exacerbated by climate change.