Oklahoma Law May Be Slowing Meth Production

A new Oklahoma law regulating the sale of cold medicines containing an ingredient used to manufacture methampthetamine may be having an effect as Oklahoma City police reported a 37 percent drop in the number of meth lab bust a month after the law was inacted.

The new state law, which went into effect in March, stopped the over-the-counter sales of cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine, which is one of the ingredients used to illegally make meth. In April, Oklahoma City police reported to Eyewitness News 5 that agents busted 62 labs, down from 98 the month before.

The problem facing Oklahoma law enforcement however is that sales of pseudoephedrine is still legal in sourrounding states. They reported a surge in pseudoephedrine sales along the Arkansas border with Oklahoma. U.S. Rep. Brad Carson, D-Okla., said that he plans to push for federal legislation designed to restrict pseudoephedrine sales nationwide with a bill similar to the measure approved in Oklahoma.

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