Methamphetimine

4 Pages 1085 Words

The United States is quickly being caught in the grip of a powerful and deadly new drug epidemic. The drug is methamphetimine, otherwise known as “meth”. Once called, “the poor man’s cocaine,” meth use has now spread beyond bikers, caucasians, and blue-collar workers to include minorities, white-collar workers and specifically women. The popularity is attributed to meth’s ease of manufacturing, inexpense and ferocious addiction. (Leone 29)
Meth’s history can be traced back over one hundred years. Japanese pharmacologists first manufactured the drug in 1919 for medicinal purposes. The drug quickly spread west where it was readily available in Hawaii and the West coast of the United States. Meth use is now very concentrated on the West Coast where it ranks second to alcohol in usage in California. (Leone 29)
The first uses of methamphetamine were medicinal and it was used to treat a variety of illnesses. By 1930 a drug derived from basic phenylethylamine was prescribed as an inhalant in order to treat asthma and rhinitis. In the 1930’s meth was prescribed as a treatment for depression and other diseases. Soldiers in World War II were given meth in order to increase their wakefulness and attention span. In the 1950’s
2

athletes, truck drivers, and housewives used meth tablets, known as “pep pills”. The euphoria that the drug created was quickly noticed and led to abuse. A report that claimed methamphetamine enhanced both intellectual performance and allowed long periods of wakefulness helped to contribute to its excessive use.
Methamphetamine is a derivative of phenylethylamine. It begins as L-ephedrine and is reduced to methamphetamine using red phosporus and hydriodic acid.
This method creates a lipid-based form and is pure, volatile, and can evaporate. It can be converted to a water-soluble form by adding hydrochloride salt. Alternatives to making meth can be to use ...