Paul, who said he’s been addicted to meth for about eight years, is part of a sprawling online community of meth users, hidden in plain sight on nearly every major social media platform and digital communication tool, from Facebook to Zoom to Reddit to Twitter.Īs nearly all social media platforms and tech companies have trended toward increased platform moderation amid heightened scrutiny from watchdogs, meth users have attracted little attention as they build online communities of tens of thousands of people. “That is where I found a forum, like a tribe, where I could be my authentic self with no fear of judgment.” “There is no meth without Zoom, and there is no Zoom without meth,” Paul, whom NBC News is identifying only by his first name to protect him from professional harm, said in an interview. As he was injecting methamphetamine, he connected with hundreds of other individuals doing the same thing over Zoom. Though he was alone in his room, he was using drugs with other people. While his family was downstairs, Paul said he pretended to be sick while he relapsed in a multiday meth binge. Like many people, he hadn’t seen his family for almost a year.īut instead of spending time with his loved ones, he said he stayed in his room and injected methamphetamine. In December, Paul went home for the holidays.
