methamphetamine problem is likely to get worse before it gets better

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Monday, January 30, 2006
More Meth Woes

Winston-Salem Journal

The methamphetamine problem is likely to get worse before it gets better, even with a new state law that limits the availability of cold remedies at the local drug store.

States that have limited distribution of pseudophedrine, an ingredient in cold medicines that is used in the manufacture of meth, report that homemade meth manufacturing inside their borders has fallen significantly. That's the kind of expectation that prompted Attorney General Roy Cooper to push North Carolina lawmakers to make it more difficult to buy products containing pseudophedrine.

The same states report, however, that the drop in homemade meth is being offset by a rise in imports of crystal meth from Mexico. That is a purer, more expensive form of the drug that causes new problems of its own.

It will be very good news if North Carolina experiences a drastic decrease in the manufacture of homemade meth like that of other states. Without easy access to pseudophedrine, the home laboratories close.

This can help solve three of the worst problems associated with meth production. The first is the cooking of meth in the vicinity of children. The fumes alone can do them terrible physical damage. The second is the environmental impact of these renegade laboratories. The chemicals involved are extremely dangerous. Finally, when law-enforcement officers raid the illegal labs, their health is endangered, as is that of emergency-room workers dealing with meth-related cases.

The good news could be offset by bad news, however, according to The New York Times. The newspaper reported that when meth addicts switch to Mexican crystal meth, two new problems arise.

Purer in content than homemade meth, the crystal meth is much more addictive and dangerous for users. The paper reported that a number of states are seeing a rapid rise in overdoses. And, while children aren't exposed to meth fumes, a number of social-service departments reported that doped-up parents often leave their children without care for days.

The crystal meth is considerably more expensive. That means that addicts often must engage in more criminal activity to support their habits.

Law enforcement's job is far from done. America's porous border with Mexico contributes to the problem, and it must be addressed. But education programs about the deadliness of meth must also be devised, and they must be directed at those elements of the population that would get involved with this debilitating and deadly drug.

Putting the cold capsules out of reach was a good start. Now the drug dealers have found a way around that move, and that means more trouble.