when was meth made illegal and how long did it take?

Answer 1

Methamphetamine was first synthesized from ephedrine in Japan in 1893 by chemist Nagayoshi Nagai. [6] In 1919, crystallized methamphetamine was synthesized by Akira Ogata via reduction of ephedrine using red phosphorus and iodine. The related compound amphetamine was first synthesized in Germany in 1887 by Lazar Edeleanu.

One of the earliest uses of amphetamine occurred during World War II when the German military dispensed the stimulant under the trade name Pervitin to troops.[7] The drug was widely distributed across rank and division, from elite forces to tank crews and aircraft personnel. Chocolates dosed with methamphetamine were known as Fliegerschokolade ("flyer's chocolate") when given to pilots, or Panzerschokolade ("tanker's chocolate") when distributed to tank crews.

Adolf Hitler is rumored to have received three daily IV injections of amphetamines and steroids from his personal physician, Theodor Morell.[citation needed] After World War II, a massive supply of amphetamine, formerly stockpiled by the Japanese military, became available in Japan under the street name shabu (also Philopon (pronounced ヒロポン, or Hiropon), its tradename there.[8]) The Japanese Ministry of Health banned it in 1951, which is thought to have added to the growing yakuza activities related to illicit drug production.[9] Today, the Japanese underworld is still associated with the drug, although its use is discouraged by strong social taboos.

With the 1950s came a rise in the legal prescription of methamphetamine to the American public. According to the 1951 edition of Pharmacology and Therapeutics (by Arthur Grollman), it was to be prescribed for "narcolepsy, post-encephalitic parkinsonism, alcoholism, ... in certain depressive states... and in the treatment of obesity."

The 1960s saw the start of the significant use of clandestine manufacture to supply methamphetamine. Prior to 1983, U.S. laws prohibiting the possession of precursors and equipment for methamphetamine production were not yet in place. The recreational use of Levoamphetamine sky-rocketed in the 1980s. The December 2, 1989 edition of The Economist described San Diego, California as the "methamphetamine capital of North America."

In 1986, the U.S. government passed the Federal Controlled Substance Analogue Enforcement Act in an attempt to combat the growing use of designer drugs. In spite of this, its use expanded throughout the rural United States, especially in the Midwest and South. Growth of methamphetamine use continues into the 21st century, and many states are considering tougher legislation.

Since 1989, five federal laws and dozens of state laws have been implemented to combat the production and thus availability of methamphetamine. Methamphetamine is easily “cooked up” in home laboratories using pseudoephedrine and/or ephedrine, the active ingredients in over-the-counter drugs such as Sudafed and Contac. Thus, preventive legal strategies over the past 17 years have steadily strengthened restrictions on the distribution of pseudoephedrine/ephedrine-containing products. The current federal standard, as of January 2006, restricts the amount of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine an individual may purchase in a designated time period, and it requires that such products are stored in such a way as to prevent theft.[10]

Answer 2

When Was Meth Legal

Answer 3

The CQ researcher has a great article on all this.

Amphetamines were classified as Schedule II drugs in 1971.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_Substances_Act#Schedule_II_drugs

Answer 4

Was meth ever legal?