In the war on drugs, one victory

Action by states and the Congress has resulted in a sharp decrease in the number of US meth labs.

from the July 6, 2007 edition

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Virginia's attorney general calls methamphetamine "probably the ugliest drug...in 40 years." Many other law-enforcement officials agree. So it's heartening that state and federal effort targeting these illegal uglies is hitting a bull's eye – at least in reducing the US supply of "meth."

Since the early 1990s, a meth resurgence has spawned thousands of hidden labs in motel rooms, barns, and homes in rural and suburban America. But the number of these meth kitchens is radically declining, thanks to stepped-up law enforcement and laws that restrict the supply of a key ingredient.

Meth is known to be quickly addictive, with severe health repercussions. But it also has a social ripple effect. Children of users may be abused as the user turns violent, or neglected for days during the user's crash period. Kids and neighbors are also endangered by the potentially explosive manufacturing process, which produces five pounds of toxic waste for every pound of meth.

As the meth outbreak gathered steam, though, so did many states, followed by the US Congress. Awareness, training, and shared databases helped local and federal law enforcement, and many states passed laws restricting the supply of the key meth ingredient pseudoephedrine, found in cold medicines. Last year, Congress brought uniformity to those laws by requiring pharmacies to move the medicines behind the counter and limit the amount customers can buy in a day. Customers must also show an ID.

The results are striking. According to the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the number of lab sites seized in the US has dropped by 58 percent since the peak in 2003 – to 7,347 last year. This is an instance in which laws worked.

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