From the University of Arizona: http://methoide.fcm.arizona.edu/infocenter/index.cfm?stid=164
Origin and History
Amphetamine was first synthesized by a Romanian chemist named Lazar Edeleanu (a.k.a. Edeleano) at the University of Berlin in 1887, but was not used clinically until Gordon A. Alles re-synthesized the drug in the 1920s for use in medical settings to treat asthma, hayfever, and colds.[1-5] In 1932, Smith, Kline, and French Laboratories marketed the first amphetamine product, an amphetamine-based inhaler (trade name, Benzedrine) to treat nasal congestion.[6] During the remaining 1930s, amphetamines were promoted by U.S. pharmaceutical companies as treatments for ailments such as rhinitis and asthma.[1-7]
Methamphetamine (MA), a variant of amphetamine, was first synthesized in Japan in 1893 by Nagayoshi Nagai from the precursor chemical ephedrine.[8-10] MA was not widely used until World War II (1940s), at which time German, English, American, and Japanese governments began giving their military personnel the drug to enhance endurance and alertness and ward off fatigue.[2,6,9,10] (Note: Even today, amphetamines are sometimes used by the U.S. military. In 2002, U.S. pilots in Afghanistan killed and wounded Canadian soldiers in “friendly fire.” The defending lawyers argued that the pilots’ use of amphetamines, which is sanctioned by the Air Force, may have affected the pilots’ judgment.[6]
In addition to military usage, Japanese factory workers were known to use MA to work longer hours. Post World War II, former Japanese military warehouses had an abundant amount of the drug in storage and as a result, large quantities of over-the-counter methamphetamine pills were produced for domestic consumption by Japanese pharmaceutical companies. It was in Japan that the first MA epidemic occurred.[1]
In the U.S. a prescription was needed to access amphetamines, thus slowing the onset of an epidemic. Nevertheless, by the 1950s, the prevalence of amphetamine use was on the rise among civilians, including groups such as college students, truck drivers, athletes, housewives, and individuals performing monotonous jobs.[1,11] By 1959, the FDA banned amphetamine-based inhalers due to increases in their abuse.[12] However, at the same time, amphetamine and its various forms were promoted as therapeutic agents for health problems such as hyperactivity, obesity, narcolepsy, and depression. In the 1960s, administering amphetamines, including MA, by intravenous injection gained popularity, especially among individuals already using illicit drugs. It was this group that may have first used amphetamines solely for their euphoric effects.[1]
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