November 30: The U.S. Department of Justice "Celebrates" National Meth Awareness Day

This young girl is someone's daughter; she is also a meth addict. She is a 13 year-old runnaway who was found after a few months of using meth. "Methamphetamine use typically starts during the teen years."

On November 30, the U.S. Department of Justice "celebrated" National Meth Awareness Day. Their site has a lot of information about the dangers of methamphetamine.

Visitors can even watch a videos and advertisements about meth.

Here is another resource for parents about methamphetamine.

Wikipedia has some background about the history of methamphetamine. According to Wikipedia:

Methamphetamine was first synthesized from ephedrine in Japan in 1893 by chemist Nagayoshi Nagai. 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.[6] 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, Theodore 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.[7]) 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.[8] Today, the Japanese underworld is still associated with the drug, although its use is discouraged by strong social taboos. [Wikipedia]