The History of Methamphetamine

The history of methamphetamine begins in the early 1900’s. Methamphetamine was first synthesized from ephedrine by a Japanese chemist named Akira Ogata. During the World War II Era, meth was mass produced and used by both sides to help soldiers stay awake longer, be more alert and suppress appetite. After the war, the large amounts of surplus meth tablets were distributed in Japan, Europe and North America. The meth pills were often referred to as “work pills”. In 1944, the FDA approved prescriptions for methamphetamine for cases including: Parkinson’s disease, allergies, narcolepsy, depression, and alcoholism.

In the late 1960s, people started to become aware of the harmful health effects caused by meth which began the drug prevention movement against methamphetamine. The Drug Control Act in 1974 was put into effect because of the increasing amount of meth use in the United States. This effectively put an end to the wide spread use of methamphetamine and is a pivotal point in the history of methamphetamine.

In the late 1970’s and part of the early 1980s, the epidemic of methamphetamine use in the United States was nearly halted except for a few cities in California. The main suppliers of meth at this time were the Hells Angels, a motorcycle gang that was operating in San Diego and San Francisco. Also notable in the history of methamphetamine is in the 1980s, Honolulu had increasing amounts of meth use. The drug was in its crystal form and went by the name “ice” because its appearance was similar to shards of ice and was imported from the Philippines to the Hawaiian Islands.

In the 1980s portion of the history of methamphetamine, there was an array of secret meth labs discovered in the deserts of southern California in Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego. Meth has proven through its history that it is not very difficult to manufacture, especially if the ingredients are easily obtainable. At this time there were no restrictions on the ingredients such as ephedrine, pseudo ephedrine, hydrochloric acid, ether, and red phosphorus and were readily available from various sources. However, in the 1990s federal restrictions were implemented on these chemicals and have made it increasingly more difficult for methamphetamine to be produced in the US.

At this point in the history of methamphetamine the illicit manufactures made a change in the route of manufacturing and gathering ingredients. They turned to pharmacies and drug stores which sold pseudo ephedrine. Pseudo ephedrine was now the main ingredient for cooking meth and the local stores that sold any products containing pseudo ephedrine became unknowing suppliers for the manufacture of methamphetamine. Many over the counter sinus and cold medicines, such as Nyquil and Sudafed, contain this chemical. The manufacturers of these products soon caught on and now have warnings printed on the packaging about its potential abuse. These medications have also been moved to behind the counter for purchase and limitations per customer to further restrict access. These precautionary efforts are believed to have caused significant difficulty for the producers of methamphetamine to obtain pseudo ephedrine without getting the attention of local merchants and law enforcement agencies.

With the many restrictions in place in the US, the new mass production ground for methamphetamine has shifted to Mexico where ephedrine and other ingredients are still widely available. As a result of methamphetamine production dropping in the US, the large meth producing labs, just south of the US border, have gained a significant amount of power. Mexican drug trafficking cartels continue to improve smuggling techniques, establish routes and gain more personnel for transporting narcotics across the border into the US.

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