This 2011 film investigates how and why meth use spiraled out of control and contributed to the drug abuse problem in America. Speed. Meth. Glass. On the street, methamphetamine has many names. What started as a fad among West Coast motorcycle gangs in the 1970s then spread across the United States. In “The Meth Epidemic”, FRONTLINE, in association with The Oregonian, investigates meth addiction in America: the impact on individuals, families and communities, and the difficulty of controlling an essential ingredient in meth—ephedrine and pseudoephedrine—sold legally in over-the-counter cold remedies.