New Okla. Law Credited with Drop in Meth Lab Numbers July 15, 2004
News Summary
A new Oklahoma law that bans over-the-counter sales of cold remedies containing pseudoephedrine is being credited for a significant drop in the number of methamphetamine labs found in Oklahoma during the first six months of the year, the Kansas City Star reported July 13.The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation investigated 386 meth labs between January and June, 124 less than the 510 investigated during the same period last year.
"It costs the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation an average of $3,500 to clean up a single meth lab," said Mark Woodward, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control. "I can't even put a number on the man hours spent at a lab. It's saving millions of dollars ultimately."
This spring, the state banned sales of medications like Sudafed and Claritin-D that contain pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient in methamphetamine. Under the law, the medications can only be sold at pharmacies to people who show a photo identification and sign for the medicine.
Woodward said law-enforcement authorities are urging bordering states to follow Oklahoma's lead and pass similar laws. "If we can get some of these other states on board, that's going to really, really help," he said.
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