Amphetamine was first synthesized, or made, in a laboratory in 1887. However, scientists did not know of its effects as a stimulant on the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) until the early 1930s. In the 1880s cocaine projects were introduced as risk free. In the same way, the medical profession promoted amphetamine as an effective cure for a wide range of ills without any risk of addiction. Doctors recommended it to treat alcohol hangovers, depression, and vomiting during pregnancy, and to help patients lose weight. Public interest grew in this supposed miracle drug, which was inexpensive, easy to obtain, and had long-lasting effects. Beginning in the 1930s, amphetamines became drugs of abuse.

Drugs created from amphetamine, such as methamphetamine, became available for therapeutic uses in both oral (to be taken by mouth) and intravenous (to be injected) form. Despite occasional bad reactions, Americans—college students, athletes...