Crystal meth is a product of the drug war plain and simple. Drug criminalization and stepped-up enforcement have two quite predictable consequences. First, they encourage the production of drugs that pack a bigger punch per physical unit. The smaller quantity that has to be transported to get the same amount of high, the better. This reduces the probability of detection in transporting the drug. This is why all drugs have gotten stronger and stronger over the years. An ounce of marijuana is much more potent today than it was 25 or 30 years ago.
Second. criminalization encourages drugs that can be produced in as private a setting as possible. Again, the more privacy in production the smaller the chance of getting caught. Meth can be produced in one’s kitchen. It doesn’t need an open field like marijuana or poppies.
But I guess prohibition is worth these social costs given that it is working so well to eliminate illicit drug use.
