LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Source of Meth ‘Crystal’ Clear
March 14, 2018, Shanna Avery, Lake County Star
The recent article, “Source of Meth ‘Crystal’ Clear,” was a perfect explanation of where methamphetamine in Michigan is really coming from: Mexico. The rise of Mexican meth is certainly troubling, but it gives us the opportunity to reflect on how successful Michigan’s lawmakers, law enforcement officials, and pharmacists have been in combatting domestic meth production.
Michigan’s laws make it difficult for criminals to produce meth by limiting their access to pseudoephedrine (PSE), an ingredient in cold and allergy medicines that some criminals try to use for making meth. The article says that local “one-pot” meth labs are decreasing, and I believe that these legal PSE limits are the reason.
It only make sense than, that as local meth-making has declined, addicts have turned to the cheaper meth being brought over the southern U.S. border. In fact, I recently read that the DEA estimates that 90 percent of all meth seized in the U.S. comes from Mexico. As Michigan lawmakers seek to address the shifting source of the meth being consumed in our state, it remains important to also highlight the strides that have been made to successfully prevent domestic production.
Read more here.