Meth is not new, but it has become more potent as ingredients and cooking methods have evolved.

First synthesized by a Japanese chemist in 1919 and used by Axis troops during World War II to keep them awake and motivated, meth made its first significant presence in the Western United Sates in the 1940s.   For decades meth use was limited to the West Coast and Hawaii, and has been popular at various time in gangs, most notably the Hells Angels.

The federal government criminalized the drug in the 1970s, but by then it was illegally manufactured and distributed by motorcycle gangs.  In the 1990s, Mexican drug cartels began talking over production, setting up "superlabs" in rural California, mainly the Central Valley that could crank out 50 lbs. of meth in one weekend.

Back when motorcycle gangs controlled the trade, the government cracked down on the core ingredient, so the recipe was changed to include ephedrine, a chemical used in the manufacture of cold medicine.  AS soon as the United States began restricting the bulk sales of PSE, production simply jumped to Mexico.  In 2005, the Combat Meth Epidemic Act was enacted as part of the renewal of the US Patriot Act, further restricting the sales of over the counter cold medicines like Sudafed. 

As a result, much of the meth in the United States today is made in Mexico and smuggled across the border.

"    INFO FROM THE BOOK:  NO SPEED LIMIT - A HISTORY OF METH IN AMERICA