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Article: Amphetamine Epidemics
- Article from:
- Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol, and Addictive Behavior
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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AMPHETAMINE EPIDEMICS
Amphetamine, Methamphetamine, and related compounds have relatively brief abuse histories, dating from the 1930s and 1940s. Similar to the other major Psychomotor Stimulant of abuse, Co-Caine, the amphetamines are addictive, and a number of cycles of epidemic use have occurred in the United States and in other countries. Unlike cocaine, however, the amphetamines do not occur in nature and can only be synthesized in a laboratory
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a distinction that significantly influences the manufacture, distribution, and abuse patterns of the drugs.
EARLY USE IN THE UNITED STATES
Amphetamines were initially synthesized in 1887, with methamphetamine being developed ...