Production of methamphetamine in the United States has slowed, thanks to increased law enforcement pressure, public awareness campaigns and more strict regulations of chemicals used in meth production.
In 2005, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a law making it more difficult to purchase the over-the-counter medication pseudoephedrine, which is a primary ingredient in meth manufacture.
North Carolina authorities reported a 40-percent drop in meth lab busts since the laws took effect, from 328 in 2005 to 197 in 2006.
But these drops have been offset by increased production in Mexico.
Mexican criminal groups have expanded distribution of methamphetamine, even in small communities. The groups challenge law enforcement because they are Mexican-based, well-organized and know the drug trade.
An estimated 65 percent of all meth consumed in the United States now comes from Mexican drug cartels: 53 percent from superlabs in Mexico and 12 percent from Mexican-run superlabs within the United States.
Cartels that established West Coast superlabs in the mid-1990s are now moving operations to Mexico where, until very recently, no restrictions were placed on pseudoephedrine.
In 2004, Mexico imported 224 tons of psuedoephedrine, a figure estimated to be double the national demand for cold medicine and quadruple the 66 tons imported in 2000. |
Sources:
Office of National Drug Control Policy
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
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