by June Chua

Amphetamine is known by the street names of "copilots," "speed," "zip," "dexies," "bennies," "crosstops" and "crank."

Amphetamine was first synthesized in 1887 in Germany . At the time, it was investigated as a possible cure or treatment for many things, from depression to decongestion.

In the late 1920's, scientists discovered amphetamine was good for opening the bronchial passages and stimulating the central nervous system. And by the 1930s, amphetamine was marketed as Benzedrine, an over-the-counter inhaler to treat nasal congestion. The drug was used and abused by non-asthmatics. By 1937, it was available by prescription in tablet form.

In 1919, the Japanese discovered a more potent and easier to make version of the drug — methamphetamine. The new drug was a crystalline powder soluble in water. In this form, it can be smoked, injected, snorted or taken orally. Users get an intense but brief high when they inject or smoke the drug, but it f it's snorted or taken orally by capsule, the high lasts longer.

By the 1930s, high-performance athletes were choosing amphetamine over strychnine as their performance-enhancing drug of choice. Amphetamine improves concentration and endurance but it also increases the risk of heat stroke because the drug causes blood to flow away from the skin. This was to prove fatal for some athletes.

The drug was used widely during World War II to keep soldiers going. American, British, German and Japanese soldiers were issued amphetamine to combat fatigue and heighten endurance. (During the Vietnam War, American soldiers used more amphetamines than the rest of the world during WW II).

In Japan, intravenous methamphetamine abuse became an epidemic after the war when supplies stored for the military became available.

By the 1950s, tablets of methamphetamine (Methedrine) and dextroamphetamine (Dexetrine) were legally manufactured and became available to the public. Truck drivers, athletes and businessmen took to using them. Students popped them as "pep pills" in order to cram for exams. Amphetamines became a cure-all and used for various treatments such as weight control.

American servicemen stationed in Japan and Korea in the 1950s mixed amphetamines with heroin, the origin of the "speedball." The servicemen brought their habit home.

By the time the sixties dawned in the U.S. underground meth labs started to pop up in San Diego and parts of California . San Diego was where the drug was manufactured for pilots heading to fight the war in the Pacific. Addicts were using injectable methamphetamine all over the U.S.

One of the first noticeable doping cases involving amphetamine occurred at the 1952 Winter Olympics. Several speed skaters became ill and needed medical attention.

At the 1960 Olympics, Danish cyclist Kurt Jensen collapsed and died from an amphetamine overdose. Jensen suffered a cardiac arrest. The International Olympic Committee took action in 1967 after the death of British cyclist Tommy Simpson from amphetamine in the Tour de France. In 1968, amphetamine appeared on the IOC's new list of banned substances.

Crystal methamphetamine — ice, crystal, quartz — started showing up in the '‘60s. It is clear, almost transparent in appearance. That compares to common methamphetamine, which is a white to dark brown powder or chunk with different consistencies. Crystal meth is usually smoked and produces a high that can last 24 hours.

In 1970, the Controlled Substances Act in the U.S. severely restricted the legal production of injectable methamphetamine and in 1971, all potent amphetamine nasal inhalers were taken off the market.

The long-term effects of methamphetamine include chronic insomnia, paranoia, hallucinations, halted personality development, malnutrition and anti-social tendencies. Withdrawal symptoms include restlessness, mental confusion and depression.