From Wikipedia
Quote:
Amphetamine was first synthesized in 1887 in Germany by Romanian chemist Lazăr Edeleanu who named it phenylisopropylamine.[2][3][4] Shortly after, methamphetamine was synthesized from ephedrine in 1893 by Japanese chemist Nagai Nagayoshi.[5] Neither drug had a pharmacological use until 1934, when Smith, Kline and French began selling amphetamine as an inhaler under the trade name Benzedrine as a decongestant.[6]
During World War II, amphetamine and methamphetamine were used extensively by both the Allied and Axis forces for their stimulant and performance-enhancing effects.[4][7][8] Eventually, as the addictive properties of the drugs became known, governments began to place strict controls on the sale of the drugs.[4]
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Actually, it was until the 1970s speed was just an energizer pill you could buy in any local drug store.