History of Methamphetamines: The Need for Speed

We are facing a methamphetamine crisis. According to the National Institute on Drug Use and Health, 12.3 million Americans, aged 12 and older have used meth at least once. In a Monitoring The Future study in 2004, it was found that 6.2% of high school seniors, and 10.3% of 10th graders reported use of this potent street drug. This was essentially unchanged from the 2003 report..

Once a West Coast problem, this drug is now being found across the country in both urban and rural locations. There are no socio-economic barriers to its usage, no stereotypical users. What exactly is methamphetamine, and how it impacts not only families but the environment as well, is the focus of this article.

Amphetamines were originally synethesized in Germany in 1887, but weren't put to common use until the 1930's, when it was developed for bronchodilation. Sold as an inhaler it was widely used to treat asthma, hay fever and and colds. Not only was the Benzedrine Inhaler enormously successful, its marketing as an OTC pill for epilepsy, narcolepsy, night blindness and mood elevator, brought it into mainstream use in a big way.

During WW II and Vietnam, troops were routinely given "pep" pills to help combat fatigue and stress. Over 7 million of these were distributed to combatants on both sides of the conflict. Adolf Hitler was reportedly heavily addicted to methamphetamine, and this has caused historians to speculate that many of his more atrocious acts were in fact triggered by his usage of meth.

Post war use among college students and truck drivers increased, and in fact, many cocaine abusers switched to methamphetamine because it was legal, and had very similar effects. It wasn't until 1965, that the FDA passed major controls on the use of amphetamines. Even though they were overprescribed into the 1970's, they were gradually replaced with better drugs, possessing fewer side effects.