ST. LOUIS—The manufacture of methamphetamine is sharply down in certain Midwestern states that have had the most trouble with the drug over the years, but it remains as popular as ever with users due to an influx of cheap Mexican imports, according to experts.
Laws restricting the sale of an ingredient found in many cold medicines and key to making meth seem to have had their intended effect: The Drug Enforcement Administration doesn’t provide partial-year data on meth lab seizures, but drug fighters in several states that generally register the most meth lab busts said they’ve seen a startling decline.
Missouri is on pace for 40 percent fewer meth lab seizures this year than last, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol data. Oklahoma busts are on pace to drop 33 percent, while Tennessee’s are down 48 percent.
The steep decline doesn’t mean users are turning away from the highly addictive drug.
“What we’re hearing throughout the Midwest from our colleagues is they’re all seeing meth labs drop, but it’s critical to note that no state is saying meth use is down,” said Mark Woodward of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics. “It’s just that they’ve switched sources from cooking it to importing it.
“Meth use and addiction are still epidemic,” he said.
