Focus of Minnesota's Meth Fight - Shifts

Posted on Tue, Dec. 20, 2005

Focus in meth fight shifts to out-of-state 'mega-labs,' treatment

Associated Press
ST. PAUL - The focus of Minnesota's fight against methamphetamine is shifting.
Despite some good recent news on two fronts, there's no sign that meth use is dropping in Minnesota, officials said.
A new law that restricts access to a key raw material for making the illegal stimulant is credited with a dramatic decrease in the number of homegrown meth labs.
On the second front, new prison commitments related to meth have leveled off after years of spiraling growth, and state corrections facilities are now reconsidering the timing of a proposed expansion.
Meth labs were a hazard to neighbors, law enforcement and even children. But they were never the state's major source of meth, so authorities aren't claiming a huge victory.
"I will take it as somewhat of a victory," said Stearns County Sheriff John Sanner.
Stearns County deputies are busting one or two labs each month rather than nine, but the meth problem hasn't waned in Sanner's hard-hit central Minnesota county.
"Does that mean we are dealing with less methamphetamine? No, the methamphetamine is up," he said.