History of Methamphetamine

Early methamphetamine

First synthesized in 1887 Germany,

amphetamine was for a long time, a
drug in search of a disease. Nothing
was done with the drug, from its
discovery (synthesis) until the late
1920's, when it was seriously
investigated as a cure or treatment
against nearly everything from
depression to decongestion.

In the 1930's, amphetamine was marketed as Benzedrine in an over-

the-counter inhaler to treat nasal congestion (for asthmatics, hay fever
sufferers, and people with colds). A probable direct reaction to the
Depression and Prohibition, the drug was used and abused by non-
asthmatics looking for a buzz. By 1937 amphetamine was available by
prescription in tablet form.

Methamphetamine, more potent and easy to make, was discovered in

Japan in 1919. The crystalline powder was soluble in water, making it a
perfect candidate for injection. It is still legally produced in the U.S.,
sold under the trade name Desoxyn.

During World War II, amphetamines were widely used to keep the
fighting men going (during the Vietnam war, American soldiers used
more amphetamines than the rest of the world did during WWII). In
Japan, intravenous methamphetamine abuse reached epidemic
proportions immediately after World War II, when supplies stored for
military use became available to the public.

In the United States in the 1950s, legally manufactured tablets of both

dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) and methamphetamine (Methedrine)
became readily available and were used non medically by college
students, truck drivers, and athletes, As use of amphetamines spread,
so did their abuse. Amphetamines became a cure-all for such things as
weight control and treating mild depression.

This pattern changed drastically in the 1960s with the increased

availability of injectable methamphetamine. The 1970 Controlled
Substances Act severely restricted the legal production of injectable
methamphetamine, causing its use to decrease greatly.

Methamphetamine trafficking and abuse in the United States have

been on the rise over the past few years, as indicated by investigative,
seizure, price, purity, and abuse data (see "trends" below). As a result,
this drug is having a devastating impact in many communities across
the nation. Although more common in western areas of the country,
this impact increasingly is being felt in areas not previously familiar
with the harmful effects of this powerful stimulant.

Clandestine production accounts for almost all of the

methamphetamine trafficked and abused in the United States. The
illicit manufacture of methamphetamine can be accomplished in a
variety of ways, but is produced most commonly using the
ephedrine/pseudoephedrine reduction method. Large-scale production
of methamphetamine using this method is dependent on ready access
to bulk quantities of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. During the past
two years, several bulk ephedrine seizures destined for Mexico focused
attention on the magnitude of ephedrine acquisition by organized
crime drug groups operating from Mexico and in the United States, and
set in motion an effort to focus international attention on the
ephedrine diversion problem and to take action to prevent such
diversion.

Drug law enforcement efforts against clandestine methamphetamine

producers constitute a "cat and mouse" game between efforts to cut
off chemical supplies and efforts to obtain them from non-regulated
sources. Past experience has demonstrated that methamphetamine
traffickers are relentless, flexible, and creative in finding new ways to
obtain chemicals by evading the network of international controls that
has been established. The Federal Government currently is preparing
regulations to further reduce the diversion of pharmaceutical products
containing chemicals, such as ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, that
can be used to produce illegal drugs. It has consulted with corporations
within the pharmaceutical industry to develop a solution to the
diversion problem that does not unduly restrict the availability of these
chemicals for legitimate use.

Domestically, large-scale production of methamphetamine is centered

in California. In addition, methamphetamine increasingly is produced in
Mexico and smuggled into the United States. Methamphetamine
laboratory operators often are well armed, and their laboratories
occasionally are booby-trapped and equipped with scanning devices
employed as security precautions. Weaponry, ranging from single
firearms to arsenals of high-powered weapons and explosives, are
commonly found at laboratory sites. Not only are methamphetamine
laboratories used to manufacture illegal, often deadly drugs, but the
clandestine nature of the manufacturing process and the presence of
ignitable, corrosive, reactive, and toxic chemicals at the sites have
resulted in explosions, fires, toxic fumes, and irreparable damage to
human health and to the environment.

Traditionally, the suppliers of methamphetamine throughout the

United States have been outlaw motorcycle gangs and numerous other
independent trafficking groups. Although these groups continue to
produce and distribute methamphetamine, organized crime drug
groups operating from Mexico currently dominate wholesale
methamphetamine trafficking in the United States for several reasons:
these organizations established access to wholesale ephedrine sources
of supply on the international market; these organizations are
producing unprecedented quantities of high-purity methamphetamine
on a regular basis; and, they already control well-established cocaine,
heroin, and marijuana distribution networks throughout the western
United States, enabling them to supply methamphetamine to a large
retail-level market. Their expansion into the methamphetamine trade
has added a new dimension to their role in the U.S. drug market and
has redefined the methamphetamine problem in the United States.
Presently, these organizations are poised to supply methamphetamine
to the rest of the country in response to any increases in demand.