United States’ Response
In response to the increased threat from methamphetamine, United States law enforcement agencies have increased their efforts both domestically and internationally to stem the flow of methamphetamine and the precursors that are used to produce it. States have also taken decisive action with dramatic results.
Within the past two years, 39 states have imposed new regulations on the retail sale of the methamphetamine precursor pseudoephedrine (PSE) and preparations that contain pseudoephedrine. These restrictions vary from state to state in their severity and content, as the severity and nature of the meth problem itself differs significantly among different states. States with the strictest pseudoephedrine laws have seen significant reductions in the seizure of small toxic labs. For example, 1,063 lab incidents occurred in Oklahoma in 2003. After instituting strict laws controlling pseudoephedrine in March 2004, lab seizures in Oklahoma dropped by 37.3 percent to 667 lab incidents in 2004. Only 218 labs were reported seized in Oklahoma during 2005, a dramatic decline of 67.3% from the previous year. As more states have adopted similar restrictions, and as states and the federal government have taken other actions to combat use of the drug, the United States has seen national declines in the number of super labs and total labs seized. In fact, the total number of lab incidents in the United States declined from 17,675 in 2004 to 12,213 in 2005. This substantial 30.9% decline is the result of the hard work by state, local, and federal law enforcement officers across this country, as well as enactment and effective implementation of new laws controlling precursors enacted by 39 states.
Congress has also taken decisive steps to combat methamphetamine production and precursor diversion through the passage of the Combat Meth Act. This legislation is an important and positive step forward and has provided many useful tools both domestically and internationally.
Many of the restrictions on consumer retail sales of products containing pseudoephedrine have been in effect for over two months with remainder of the restrictions taking effect 30 September 2006. The reduction of domestic methamphetamine production has been achieved by controlling the precursors used to make the drug and when the Combat Meth Act is fully implemented we expect this national trend to continue. Concerning national demand for legitimate products containing pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine, the Drug Enforcement Administration is gathering and analyzing information regarding the licit national demand for these products, so that the agency may meet its obligation under the Combat Meth Act to set manufacturing quotas. We expect the retail sales restrictions and the ceiling on pseudoephedrine imports to have a significant positive affect on the domestic diversion of pseudoephedrine.
The Combat Meth Act also contains mechanisms to assist in reducing international diversion of methamphetamine precursors. The Department of State will identify the top five exporters and the top five importers of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanolmine, (which are the precursors for methamphetamine/amphetamine), with the highest rate of diversion for illicit uses. The State Department will publish the list of those countries in the annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report that will be released no later than March 1, 2007. The President will determine whether the identified countries are “cooperating fully” with the United States or taking adequate measures on their own to address the production and trafficking of illegal drugs. The Department of State has formed an interagency working group to develop and implement a workable methodology that will be used to identify the top five countries in each category. The Administration is committed to using the new tools provided by the Combat Meth Act effectively to foster better international controls on methamphetamine precursors.
Reducing precursor diversion and decreasing the number of domestic labs not only reduces methamphetamine production and the environmental damage caused by the production process, but also reduces the threat that these labs pose to our citizens. Methamphetamine production and use exact a huge toll on families and particularly children. Methamphetamine production can occur in homes and apartments where children live, exposing them to a variety of toxic and noxious substances. The research of current and future health risks of such exposure is ongoing, but it appears that the consequences to the health of the meth-exposed child are severe. Children of methamphetamine users are also exposed to the numerous social and developmental problems that result from their parent’s abuse problem. While under the influence of methamphetamine, these parents do not care for themselves, let alone their children. While on a multi-day methamphetamine binge, these parents have no interest in the needs of a child; they are simply focused on their high. When the binge ends they sleep for days at a time, while their children continue to be without parental care.
In October 2003, the Office of National Drug Control Policy launched a national Drug-Endangered-Children initiative to assist with coordination among existing state programs that help rehabilitate children who have been affected by methamphetamine. The results of this initiative have been promising with the number of affected children, as reported by the National Drug-Endangered-Children Program, dropping from 3,708 in 2003, to 3,104 in 2004 and for 2005 there were 1,660 affected children reported. Although this trend is promising we must continue our efforts.
The United States has had domestic success fighting the spread of methamphetamine production by controlling the precursors. We can achieve this impact globally by working cooperatively with our international partners. Disrupting the methamphetamine market will continue to rely on our ability to work together to reduce the flow of methamphetamine and prevent the diversion of its precursors—principally pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, and pharmaceutical preparations that include these chemicals.
