From Made in America to Hecho en Sinaloa: A Historical Geography of North American Methamphetamine Networks

Abstract

Most of the major drugs of abuse in the Untied States have a relatively uniform distribution. Their use may cluster in cities, for example, but that general pattern tends to repeat itself in every region of the county. This is not true of the stimulant methamphetamine, which today shows a decidedly uneven distribution. Confounding the matter more is the fact that, because it is a synthetic drug, it is theoretically possible to make methamphetamine anywhere. But it is not made everywhere. In fact, for much of its history, the drug has been concentrated in the American West. Further complicating our understanding is the public's general amnesia regarding methamphetamine's long history in the United States. Without that knowledge, it is impossible to explain the drug' present geography. This dissertation traces the evolution of the various networks that have coalesced around the production and distribution of methamphetamine and finds that much of the drug's current geography can be traced to the manner in which these various groups responded to official attempts to stem the supply of the precursors necessary to produce it.