Drugs: Speed Demons

Psychologically more destructive than heroin—and now more available than marijuana—amphetamines are in many ways the most treacherous of all abused drugs. Despite the threat they pose, a recent survey by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs revealed that 92% of the speed and pep pills in illicit traffic were manufactured by legitimate U.S. drug firms.

At hearings in San Francisco last week, the House Select Committee to Investigate Crime began to probe the route of amphetamines from manufacturers to the streets. There emerged a frightening pattern of ineffective federal regulation,...