Rasmussen, who has taught life sciences and medicine at UCLA and other universities,
examines amphetamine as a case study on the place drugs occupy in our culture and
our fantasies (of miracle cures and elixirs).

The story begins with chemist Gordon Alles's creation of amphetamine in 1929 and
continues through its use for weight loss, attention deficit disorders and today's
crystal meth craze. Smith, Kline & French (now GlaxoSmithKline) bought the rights
for use of the drug and marketed it to treat depression. During WWII, British and
American soldiers developed an amphetamine appetite as RAF medics distributed wakey-
wakey tablets to bomber crews.

At the book's core is an outstanding chapter, Bootleggers, Beatniks and Benzedrine
Benders, describing how Benzedrine inhalers, available without a prescription, could
be cracked open for a totally new kind of amphetamine experience, exerting a potent
influence on music and literature, from Charlie Parker to Jack Kerouac and Allen
Ginsberg.

Rasmussen has mined magazines, books and newspapers in addition to extensive
explorations through U.K. and American archives. He concludes by calling for strong
and immediate action to curb the widespread, dangerous use and abuse of amphetamines,
emphasizing treatment and harm reduction (like needle exchange) rather than punishment,
and better regulation of the pharmaceutical industry.

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