A stimulant existing naturally in Ephedra sinica, methamphetamine was first developed in a lab for its benefits in easing congestion. In the wrong hands, of course, any drug can be misused. During WWII, Nazi high command gave soldiers Pervitin (manufactured methamphetamine) to keep them alert on crucial missions and long marches. Methamphetamine would ebb and flow in popularity in the ensuing decades, and in the 1970s, methamphetamine use spread to Eastern Europe, particularly in the current Czech Republic, where crystal meth remains the “most popular drug.” As criminal syndicates in Mexico, the Netherlands, and Southeast Asia undertook production of methamphetamine, human misery inflicted by addiction and deadly gangland wars followed. The Devil's Drug is a fascinating investigation into the background of methamphetamine, along with a portrait of both those who profit from the drug's sale and those who are held captive by its effects. Voeten travels the world and gains insights from people involved with methamphetamine at all levels for an unflinching view of a continuing epidemic.

Booklist

I've worked with Voeten most of my life and his book on crystal meth is superb, a culmination of skills honed during many years in war zones and unstable countries.

Sebastian Junger, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Storm; award-winning journalist

The Devil's Drug is a scholarly, illuminating, lucid account of the world of crystal meth. This book is of urgent importance and should be immediately read. Voeten offers a brilliant, dynamic contribution that examines the mythology and the startling reality of methamphetamine use and misuse.

Terry Williams, The New School for Social Research

The Devil’s Drug provides a compelling global survey of the methamphetamine epidemic. Across Mexico, the Netherlands, the Golden Triangle, and LA's Skid Row, Teun Voeten examines addiction, criminal enclaves, and the rise of 'narcostates' as transnational gangsters pursue power and profit at the expense of the vulnerable.

John P. Sullivan, PhD, member, Scientific Advisory Board, Global Observatory on Transnational Criminal Networks; senior fellow, Small Wars Journal–El Centro