Madeline Hahn
When methamphetamine was discovered in 1919, its primary use was to treat narcolepsy, depression, obesity, alcoholism, and ADHD. Soon after, it was used during World War II to keep soldiers awake and alert. The benefits soon became well known, and upper-middle class families were using meth to increase performance in the workplace and also to keep a slim figure during the 1950s. The drug was even advertised to women as an effective diet plan. After the harmful affects of meth became apparent, though, Congress’s Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act classified meth as a schedule II drug. The title acknowledged that meth would forevermore be considered one of the most restricted …show more content…
It has affected almost every state in America, and is closer to home than we think. Just 80 miles away from Iowa City is a town called Oelwine, Iowa. In June of 2009, author Nick Reding published a book about the small town with a population of fewer than 7,000 people. Though small, the town had a big problem. Methamphetamines had taken over:
“It wasn’t until 2005— when news of the methamphetamine epidemic began flooding the national media— that people began taking notice. Overnight, the American small town and methamphetamine became synonymous. Main Street was no longer divided between Leo’s and the Do Drop Inn, or between the Perk and the Bakery: it was partitioned between the farmer and the tweaker” (Reding, 6).
Throughout the book, Reding tells the stories of real people whose lives the drug ruined. The problem eventually became so bad that 90 percent of funding to the town was being cut off to prevent the production of methamphetamines (Reding, 12-13). Truly, the drug is an epidemic through and through. It affects everyone in its …show more content…
Meth, however, is never promoted the way other drugs are. Rather, when people talk about meth, they talk about the horror stories that are associated with it. Popular shows such as Breaking Bad — which ran from 2008 – 2013 — have shown how easily the drug can take control of one’s life.
National Geographic released a documentary in 2006 entitled World’s Most Dangerous Drug. In it, National Geographic reports that meth is cheaper and more powerful than cocaine. The documentary went on to illustrate the unfortunate convenience of meth and how that convenience has resulted in it being such a problem. Frankly, there is a high profit that comes from cooking meth, which is why getting rid of it has been such a challenge. The inexpensiveness associated with cooking meth and the high price for which it sells has made it both popular and desired for people who have let the drug infiltrate their