Amphetamine / Methamphetamine

In the 1890's the first chemical stimulant was produced. In 1919 phenyl isopropyl methyline, or methamphetamine, was created by Japanese chemist A. Ogata. During World War II, the manufacturing and use of the stimulant amphetamine came of age. Included in U.S. Army survival kits, amphetamines were widely distributed by all armies to their soldiers as a remedy for fatigue. Even the civilian work force was given amphetamines to increase production and motivation among workers.

Amphetamines are prescribed for a variety of medicinal applications, such as narcolepsy, hyperkenis, and weight control.

Methamphetamine and other amphet- amines are virtually indistinguishable from one another in effect and composition. They are so similar on the molecular level that only a laboratory can differentiate between the two. Amphetamines can be inhaled, smoked, and injected by the abuser.

The 1990's has seen an explosion of methamphetamine use in the Kansas City area. Unlike cocaine and heroin, methamphetamine can be readily be manufactured in clandestine laboratories in the United States. The clandestine manufacturing process incorporates a large variety of hazardous and volatile chemicals. These chemicals create a major health and environmental problem as they are usually discarded illegally by the "cooks" who manufacture the amphetamine. These chemicals are dumped into old wells, waterways, ponds, lakes, public sewer systems, and onto the ground.

Methamphetamine labs are frequently located in public locations such as residences, hotels, motels, and storage facilities. The proximity of these clandestine laboratories to this areas makes the general population extremely vulnerable to the hazardous conditions associated with their operation.