A growing force against meth use

Inroads are being made in the fight against homemade methamphetamine - the potent psycho-stimulant that's ravaged millions of lives in the heartland and has now moved to both coasts.

In Rice County, Kan., the sheriff says a community awareness campaign has now made it almost impossible for local meth lab operators to buy the needed over-the-counter ingredients like cold medicines without getting noticed.

Target and other national chain stores like CVS and Rite Aid recently decided to put all such products behind the counter to make them harder to shoplift.

Even major corporations are having an impact. Pfizer, maker of the popular Sudafed, which contains pseudoephedrine, a key meth ingredient, recently announced it was making a reformulated version available.

All this is coming as states continue to wield their legislative powers against the drug. Already, dozens have passed laws limiting the amount of certain products, like Sudafed or Claritin, that can be bought at one time. Others require purchasers to show identification and sign a register to help discourage potential meth producers.

Six states, led by Oklahoma, have even moved to shift products containing ingredients that can be used in the manufacture of meth from over-the-counter to controlled substances. A similar federal law is pending in Washington.

The combined efforts are having an impact. Local law-enforcement officials across the country are reporting decreases in the number of meth labs in their communities. And national surveys show a slow but steady decrease in usage.

At the same time, however, meth addiction continues to be a major problem in local pockets around the country - in part because in most states, 80 percent of the drug is imported from so-called super labs in places like Mexico.

"The production issue is a very crucial issue on the state level because meth labs are dangerous and volatile. They can blow up, and many of them are rigged to as soon as they're discovered," says Allison Colker, a senior policy specialist at the National Conference of State Legislatures in Washington. "So it's important to stop the local production, but that doesn't mean you deal with the demand problem. Someone who's addicted to the drug is addicted to the drug, and we need to improve prevention efforts and access to treatment."

Sheriff Steve Bundy in Rice County agrees with that, but he also says that it's imperative for states and communities to continue the crackdown on local meth labs. That's because while local labs account for only 20 percent of meth production, Sheriff Bundy has to use 100 percent of his resources to deal with them.

And he's far ahead of much of the rest of the country. In 2001, Bundy and his department pioneered a program called Meth Watch. They enlisted local retailers to put bold, bright signs near the cold medicines warning buyers that store owners were on the watch for potential meth producers. He also enlisted members of the community - mail carriers, meter readers, road maintenance workers, teachers, and civic organization officials - educating them about the dangers of meth as well as how to spot signs of potential labs.

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