Feds score against homegrown meth

Good news on meth production. It seems to fit with the anecdotal information I hear in Michigan. While use may not be down, it may slow increases in use.

Data show curbs working on making, not necessarily use, of drug in USA

Small, toxic methamphetamine labs that overwhelmed rural and suburban communities in the past several years are disappearing as ingredients to make the drug become more difficult to find, federal law enforcement agents say.

New statistics released by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) show a 58% drop in meth labs and abandoned sites seized last year by police and U.S. agents, to 7,347. That indicator peaked nationwide in 2003, with 17,356 sites seized.

The DEA credits the decline to state and federal laws that restrict the sale of cold medicines and chemicals used to make methamphetamine and to increased law enforcement, spokesman Rusty Payne says.

"This is one time where the laws worked, and they worked quickly," DEA Senior Special Agent Philippa LeVine says.