Over a decade ago meth lab seizures by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics were up to almost 1,300 per year. In 2011 there were 930, 2012 had 830, 2013 it dropped to 422 and by 2014 it was down to 177.
While meth lab seizures have been dropping, a clear indication that math labs are being built less often, Oklahoma still has a serious problem with drugs, even Methamphetamines.
So while crystal meth, marijuana and a long list of prescription drugs are causing the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics to work harder than ever, what is causing the drop in meth labs?
Dangers of Meth Labs:
Meth Labs hurt more than just the addicts they sell to, they hurt the environment and the people who live near them.
Getting rid of meth labs is expensive and dangerous, many of the waste created by them is flammable and explosive and for every pound of meth produces they produce six pounds of toxic waste.
Even months after a lab has been closed down the chichicdal residue still remains there. The building becomes unusable as the chemicals used can easily spread through the walls, carpets, curtains and furniture of the site.
The solvent chemicals used get dumped into the ground, sewers or septic systems. This contaminates the ground and surface waters of the area.
5 Reasons Why Meth Labs are Declining:
- OBN Crackdown:
The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics has not taken the decline in meth lab production as a reason to let up, they are actually working to crack down harder and focus in on rural areas that are flooded with pounds of crystal meth each week.
While the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics is pleased with having fewer fires and fewer contaminated properties, they are still adamantly working to stop the problem once and for all.
- Prescription Drug Abuse:
As more and more people become addicted to prescription drugs, the use of crystal meth may drop. An official report from the Oklahoma Office of Communications revealed that 81% of the unintentional poisoning deaths in Oklahoma from 2007-2011 involved one or more prescription drug.
The most common prescription drug deaths were an overdose of either hydrocodone, oxycodone or alprazolam. In fact, painkillers are the most common cause of overdose in Oklahoma. With these prescription medications being bought and sold illegally, traded among addicts and stolen they quickly became the new drug problem.
- “Ice”:
Mexican sourced crystal meth, or “Ice”, has started coming in to Oklahoma to the fill the vacuum created by shutting down the state’s own labs. This new source is harder to stop for officials as the labs are not there in Oklahoma, but across the border in Mexico.
- Pseudoephedrine Purchase Limits:
Oklahoma has put strict limits on the purchase of pseudoephedrines such as Sudafed, an important ingredient when cooking methamphetamines.
When people reach the limit of 60 grams per month they are turned down, this has put halt on how much can be cooked which is likely another reason why fewer people are building home labs in the state.
- Colorado Marijuana:
Much like prescription drugs, marijuana use is growing in Oklahoma and it’s coming from it’s neighbor to the north-west. Since Colorado legalized marijuana Oklahoma has been hit with a flood of Colorado grown marijuana, not just a small amount here or there either, 200-500 pounds have been caught being smuggled over in some cases.
The issue has gotten so bad that the Oklahoma Attorney General, along with Nebraska’s Attorney General, have decided to sue the state of Colorado.