It took 33 years for amphetamine to spark interest in the medical world. In the late 1920s, it gained considerable attention, and was being tested as a treatment for all sorts of psychiatric and psychological issues: decongestion, depression, any time the body or brain needed a “push.” At the time of the Depression and Prohibition, non-asthmatics could walk into a drug store and purchase the drug legally—first in an inhaler, and then in tablet form. It’s no surprise that it quickly became a problem, as did methamphetamine—a similar, but far more potent, cousin drug. Both amphetamines and methamphetamines are still produced legally in the US, the latter now solder in tablet form, under the trade name Desoxyn.
History of Methamphetamine
Amphetamines and methamphetamines are notorious muscle men in the world of medicine. They have been used by militaries all over the world to keep soldiers alert and motivated. In the 1950s, Dexedrine was being used non-medically by college students, truck drivers, and athletes. Amphetamines were a cure-all drug—they helped you keep your weight down and your mood up. As the trend grew, abuse became more and more rampant. In the 1960s, many users were injecting the drug intravenously.
Meth in the World Today
Still, methamphetamine is trafficked frequently throughout the United States and causes a significant amount of damage. As an illicit drug it has had a devastating impact in both rural and urban communities around the nation.
Most illicit meth is made by using Clandestine production: a ephedrine/pseudoephedrine reduction method that involves large large amounts of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. Cartels and other crime groups in the US and in Mexico traffic bulk quantities of these precursor chemicals for their business.
Roughly 80 percent of illicit meth in the US smuggled from Mexico, where highly sophisticated, well-armed superlabs are used to manufacture product in mass quantities. At one time, motorcycle gangs dominated the illicit meth market in the West, Southwest, and the South. Today, on both sides of the border, Mexican manufacturers dominate the industry drawing off by legal supply of precursor chemicals on their side.
Uses for Methamphetamine
Because of their powerful stimulating effect, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are sometimes referred to in Texas and Southern California as “herbal,” “legal,” or “safe” version of MDMA (ecstasy). In San Francisco, the drug is often taken with downers like heroin for a “speedball” effect, or dissolved in coffee. In Los Angeles, most users snort meth. When the drug is produced in the US, by inexperienced addicts hastily mixing household ingredients, there is always great risk of a fire.
Today, various psychiatric organizations are working to develop drugs that could help methamphetamine addicts stop abusing the drug. Meth addiction is vicious, and it takes hold quickly. Without their fix, addicts to delusions, paranoia, and violence.
A 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 1.2 million people reported using meth in the past year and 440,000 in the past month. That same year, the US saw 133,000 new users under the age of 12. The average age to begin smoking meth was found to be 19.7.
Meth might seem like a good source of energy in a life that is simply too demanding, but the reality is that the potential for abuse is simply too high. If you are suffering from meth dependence, consult with your physician about treatment.
For help and resources for quitting meth or dealing with a methamphetamine addiction, contact Hired Power at 800-910-9299 today.