But at Least It Helped Kleenex Sales

Jacob Sullum | May 24, 2006

As Nick noted the other day, CBS News has realized what other media outlets noticed months ago and what critics of the drug war (ahem) predicted last year: Although the state and federal crackdown on over-the-counter sales of pseudoephedrine seems to have reduced the number of domestic mom-and-pop meth labs, large-volume Mexican traffickers have taken up the slack, so the policy has had no discernible impact on the level of meth use:

Drug enforcement agents report the number of meth labs in the U.S. has plummeted.

"Yes, drastically down, in fact," says John Fernandes of the Drug Enforcement Administration. But, he adds, "Unfortunately there is an explosion of meth use."

The epidemic of meth use is still rampant because the drug is still plentiful on America's streets. Why?

"They just came across into Mexico to start production," said Fuillermo Gonzalez of the Tijuana Police Department.

This deadly drug is now a growth industry for Mexico's deadly drug cartels. They're replacing small U.S. kitchen labs with Mexican super labs....

By some estimates, as much at 80 percent of the meth on U.S. streets comes from Mexico.

Actually, that was the DEA's estimate before the crusade against off-the-shelf cold and allergy remedies, which makes you wonder if it was accurate then (in which case the current number is, let's say, 90 percent) or if all these numbers are pretty much pulled out of thin air.

Comments

U.S. Meth Producer|5.24.06 @ 4:10PM|#

They turk ur jobs!

Warren|5.24.06 @ 4:21PM|#

...all these numbers are pretty much pulled out of thin air.

Next you'll be telling me there's gambling going on in the back room at Rick's Place

|5.24.06 @ 4:33PM|#

Where I live, you must now get a fscking prescription for pseudophedrine now... so a useful and effective medicine that I used to purchase at the dollar store down the street now costs me a minimum of $75 to get my hands on.

Fucking dumbass drug warriors.

Larry A|5.24.06 @ 5:03PM|#

...all these numbers are pretty much pulled out of thin air.

I'd guess they're more likely a product of anal extraction.

|5.24.06 @ 5:23PM|#

Where I live, you must now get a fscking prescription for pseudophedrine now... so a useful and effective medicine that I used to purchase at the dollar store down the street now costs me a minimum of $75 to get my hands on.

The bad news is, drugs will cost a lot more now that even simple cold remedies are prescription drugs. The good news is, the government is looking in to giving all Americans prescription drug benifits.

The government may break your kneecaps, but they never do so without offering to pay for your crutches!

Timothy|5.24.06 @ 5:31PM|#

The government paying for my crutches is more like adding insult to injury. Because that's really me paying for my own crutches, but at ten times the price.

|5.24.06 @ 5:47PM|#

Isn't this just another argument for sealing the border?

What was that joke about smuggling nukes in bales of weed?

|5.24.06 @ 5:50PM|#

Guess they'll have to go back to moonshining around here.

|5.24.06 @ 5:50PM|#

They're just now doing that story? I'm a crappy reporter at a crappier podunk paper, and I was on this six fucking months ago.

|5.24.06 @ 6:10PM|#

I know it's off topic and it's not friday but according to this "fun link" some of us might not be around to enjoy this holiday weekend:

http://www.savelivesinmay.com/

|5.24.06 @ 7:11PM|#

Somewhat on-topic: All those absurd drug ads from the ONDCP, with the guys at the drive-thru running over the girl on the pink bike, and the kid shooting the other kid, and the two guys in the restaurant (Nick and Norm), have disappeared from the website:
http://www.mediacampaign.org/mg/television.html

Anyone have a mirror? Or have they gone down the memory hole?

|5.24.06 @ 7:32PM|#

I wonder what role Big Facial Tissue has to play in all of this?

Ron Hardin|5.24.06 @ 7:48PM|#

Maybe they could outlaw something that they actually want to promote, and see how that works.

|5.24.06 @ 8:28PM|#

Has anyone else observed moles in about 6-inch-deep snow under a bird feeder? They dart out from one hole, then another, laying hold to a sunflower seed each time.
If you blink you miss it.
The careful and patient observer of this phenomenon had to be the inventor of "Whack-A-Mole"?

|5.24.06 @ 10:13PM|#

Actually the results of the policy are somewhat beneficial as small mom & pop meth labs are a bit dangerous. Of course legalizing meth would have had the same positive effects without the loss of my cold medicine.

|5.24.06 @ 10:14PM|#

With a title like "But at Least It Helped Kleenex Sales" i was expecting some sort of porn related article.

For shame reason.

|5.24.06 @ 11:23PM|#

Can anybody verify that the Air Force regularly dispenses Meth to their pilots?

uncle sam|5.24.06 @ 11:37PM|#

sigh...If only we could get the right people in office.

|5.25.06 @ 1:12AM|#

sigh...Or maybe if we got the left people in office.

|5.25.06 @ 9:11AM|#

Where I live, you must now get a fscking prescription for pseudophedrine now... so a useful and effective medicine that I used to purchase at the dollar store down the street now costs me a minimum of $75 to get my hands on.

(I'm late to this topic, plus live in Canada ... sorry if this seems a stupid question.)

Are we talking cold remedies like NyQuil and Sudafed??

|5.25.06 @ 10:21AM|#

Are we talking cold remedies like NyQuil and Sudafed??

Yes.

|5.25.06 @ 10:39AM|#

Tanya, sad but true.

"Next up - DEA moves to outlaw circles.... Major threat to kids as they try to get high on the dizzies."

|5.25.06 @ 10:52AM|#

These pharmacies that have to track sales of this stuff, are they also (logically) required to take the name and address of the buyer for the DEA?

|5.25.06 @ 11:47AM|#

(I'm late to this topic, plus live in Canada ... sorry if this seems a stupid question.)

Are we talking cold remedies like NyQuil and Sudafed??

Just to be fair, I had to give my name and answer a bunch of questions to buy Iron supplements in Canada, so this isn't something that is unheard of in the Great White North. Fortunatly, they didn't ask for ID, and didn't seem to question it when I said my name was Shari Vari

SteveInClearwater|5.25.06 @ 6:12PM|#

Is this TANYA aka XPANDA at the RX?

If so, welcome to Hit&Run funny farm

If not, welcome to Hit&Run funny farm

Steve (aka BARMAN at RX)

TallDave|5.25.06 @ 6:13PM|#

The corporatist Kleenex cartel strikes again.