WHAT IS IT? METHAMPHETAMINE HAS LONG HISTORY OF USE, ABUSE

ELKO - Despite the recent increase in use, methamphetamine has a long
history going back to the late 1800s.

Amphetamine, from which meth is derived, was first synthesized in
Germany in 1887, according to Narconon's Web site, www.stopaddiction.com.

Nothing was done with the drug until the late 1920s when people
experimented with it as a cure or treatment for everything from
depression to decongestion. By the 1930s, the drug was marketed as
Benzedrine in an over-the-counter inhaler to treat nasal congestion,
and it began to be abused by non-asthmatics.

More potent and easier to make, methamphetamine was created in Japan
in 1919, according to Narconon. It was soluble in water, which
allowed it to be injected. It is still legally produced in the U.S.
and sold under the trade name Desoxyn.

During World War II, amphetamines were used to keep soldiers alert
and during the Vietnam War, American soldiers used more amphetamines
than the rest of the world did during WWII, according to Narconon.

In the 1950s, legally manufactured tablets of both dextroamphetamine,
(Dexedrine) and methamphetamine (Methedrine) became available and
were abused, according to Narconon. Amphetamine was used as a
cure-all for everything from weight loss to treating mild depression.

Meth became more available in its injectable form by the 1960s.

In today's world meth is more common in the western areas of the U.S.
but it is migrating east.

Clandestine production of meth accounts for almost all of the
methamphetamine trafficked and abused in the U.S. The illicit
manufacture of meth is produced most commonly using the
ephedrine/pseudoephedrine reduction method, according to Narconon.

Domestically, large-scale production of the drug has decreased due to
government regulations but this hasn't stopped production, according
to Nevada Division of Investigation Lt. Charles Powell.

Large meth production labs are still found in Mexico and the drug is
smuggled across the border. Also, the ingredients in the drug are so
common people can still make it in their kitchens.