Methamphetamine: A Social Menace

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Throughout history, human beings have experimented with substances whether it was to discover new knowledge or improve one's state of being. Often it began from a small distinguished portion of the population to then becoming widely available to the rest of society. The story of the drug methamphetamine was no different as since its synthesis, growing numbers of people have sought its abilities. The status in which methamphetamine currently finds itself in is that of a source of social ills. That cannot be denied but like other drugs, it had its time as an accepted medicine before becoming widely misused. Methamphetamine, despite being regard as a growing social epidemic, has its benefits under controlled medical application thus attention towards dealing with its problems must be placed upon its users and not the drug itself.

The social menace known as methamphetamine or meth began its life in 1919 within a Japanese laboratory. It was first created from the preexisting drug, amphetamine, a nervous system stimulant, with greater qualities than its predecessor as it was more potent, soluble for intravenous injection, and easier to synthesize. The drug initially saw little to no use but in World War II, it reached widespread use in Hitler's Germany. “ Nazi Leaders distributed millions of doses of methamphetamine in tablets called Pervitin to their troops however beginning in 1938, they were sold to the German public so usage sored” (Discovery Health, 3). Other countries followed suit with their own military issues of meth and other derivatives of amphetamines. Eventually by the end of the war, the craving for the drug was so well established that it was inevitable that usage expanded into the civilian population. Surplus in IV fo...

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...s methamphetamine, the status and activities of its addicts need to be considered and monitored so that the cycle of abuse can end.

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“What is Methamphetamine?” Friends of Narconon

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