Page "Doping in sport" Paragraph 29

Benzedrine is a trade name for amphetamine.

The Council of Europe says it first appeared in sport at the Berlin Olympics in 1936.

It was produced in 1887 and the derivative, Benzedrine, was isolated in the U. S. in 1934 by Gordon Alles.

Its perceived effects gave it the street name " speed ".

British troops used 72 million amphetamine tablets in the Second World War and the RAF got through so many that " Methedrine won the Battle of Britain " according to one report.

The problem was that amphetamine leads to a lack of judgement and a willingness to take risks, which in sport could lead to better performances but in fighters and bombers led to more crash landings than the RAF could tolerate.

The drug was withdrawn but large stocks remained on the black market.

Amphetamine was also used legally as an aid to slimming and also as a thymoleptic before being phased out by the appearance of newer agents in the 1950s.