Electronic Meth Precursor Tracking Systems and Prescription-Only Laws and Ordinances

Since the passage of the CMEA, some states have implemented  electronic systems to track sales of products containing PSE. Meth Lab Incidents Rose after a Sharp Decline and Have Wide-Ranging Impacts on Communities

		Meth Lab Incidents Declined Sharply Following Implementation of State and Federal PSE Sales Restrictions

According to DEA data on meth lab incidents, after peaking in 2004, the  number of lab incidents nationwide declined through 2007 after the  implementation of state and federal regulations on PSE product sales. Federal, state, and local law enforcement officials  attribute this rising trend primarily to two factors:
The emergence of a new technique for smaller-scale production. By automating the logbook requirement set forth by the CMEA, electronic  tracking systems can make PSE sales information more accessible to law  enforcement to help it investigate potential PSE diversion, find meth labs,  and prosecute individuals for meth-related crimes. Meth Producers Use Smurfing to Circumvent Tracking Systems, and Lab Incidents in Tracking States Have Not Declined

While electronic tracking systems such as NPLEx are designed to prevent  individuals from purchasing more PSE than allowed by law, meth cooks  have been able to limit the effectiveness of such systems as a means to  reduce diversion through the practice of smurfing. Smurfing is a  technique meth cooks use to obtain large quantities of PSE by recruiting  individuals or groups of individuals to purchase the legal allowable  amount of PSE products at multiple stores, and then aggregate for meth  production. Prescription-Only Appears to Help Reduce Lab Incidents; Full Impact on Consumers Is Unknown and May Be Limited on Health Care System

		Implementation of Prescription-Only Approach Followed by Declines in Lab Incidents, although Some PSE Diverted from Other States

The number of reported meth lab incidents in both Oregon and  Mississippi declined following the adoption by those states of the  prescription-only approach for PSE product sales (see fig. According to state and local law enforcement officials in Oregon and  Mississippi, the prescription-only approach contributed to the reduction of  reported meth lab incidents within those states. While the impact of the prescription-only approach on the health care  system is generally unknown, on the basis of limited information available  from health care providers in Oregon and Mississippi, it does not appear  that there has been a substantial increase in workload demands to  provide and dispense prescriptions for PSE products. From the  limited information and data that are available to date, it is not clear  that they have been substantial in the two states that have adopted  the prescription-only approach to date. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

Our objectives were to identify (1) trends in domestic meth lab incidents  over the last decade and the impact of domestic meth labs on the  communities affected by them; (2) the impact of electronic tracking  systems on domestic meth lab incidents and the limitations, if any, of  using these systems; and (3) the impact of prescription-only laws on  domestic meth lab incidents and any implications of this approach for  consumers and the health care system. This  nonprobability sample of states was selected to reflect a mix of  characteristics such as the type of approach chosen for controlling the  sale of pseudoephedrine (PSE) products (electronic tracking or  prescription-only), length of time the approach has been in use, and the  number of meth labs seized relative to the state’s population size.
Why GAO Did This Study

Meth can be made by anyone using easily obtainable household goods and consumer products in labs, posing significant public safety and health risks and financial burdens to local communities and states where the labs are found. Meth cooks have discovered new, easier ways to make more potent meth that require the use of precursor chemicals such as PSE. Some states have implemented electronic tracking systems that can be used to track PSE sales and determine if individuals comply with legal PSE purchase limits. Two states, along with select localities in another state, have made products containing PSE available to consumers by prescription only. GAO was asked to review issues related to meth. Thus, GAO examined, among other things, (1) the trends in domestic meth lab incidents over the last decade; (2) the impact of electronic tracking systems on meth lab incidents and limitations of this approach, if any; and (3) the impact of prescription-only laws on meth lab incidents and any implications of adopting this approach for consumers and the health care system. GAO analyzed data such as data on meth lab incidents and PSE product sales and prescriptions. GAO also reviewed studies and drug threat assessments and interviewed state and local officials from six states that had implemented these approaches. These states were selected on the basis of the type of approach chosen, length of time the approach had been in use, and the number of meth lab incidents. The observations from these states are not generalizable, but provided insights on how the approaches worked in practice.

What GAO Found

Methamphetamine (meth) lab incidents--seizures of labs, dumpsites, chemicals, and glassware--declined following state and federal sales restrictions on pseudoephedrine (PSE), an ingredient commonly found in over-the-counter cold and allergy medications, but they rose again after changes to methods in acquiring PSE and in the methods to produce meth. According to Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) data, the number of lab incidents nationwide declined through 2007 after the implementation of state and federal regulations on PSE product sales, which started in 2004. The number of meth lab incidents reported nationally increased after 2007, a trend primarily attributed to (1) the emergence of a new technique for smaller-scale production and (2) a new method called smurfing--a technique used to obtain large quantities of PSE by recruiting groups of individuals to purchase the legally allowable amount of PSE products at multiple stores that are then aggregated for meth production.
Electronic tracking systems help enforce PSE sales limits, but they have not reduced meth lab incidents and have limitations related to smurfing. By electronically automating and linking log-book information on PSE sales, these systems can block individuals from purchasing more than allowed by law. In addition, electronic tracking systems can help law enforcement investigate potential PSE diversion, find meth labs, and prosecute individuals. However, meth cooks have been able to limit the effectiveness of such systems as a means to reduce diversion through the practice of smurfing.
The prescription-only approach for PSE appears to have contributed to reductions in lab incidents with unclear impacts on consumers and limited impacts on the health care system. The implementation of prescription-only laws by Oregon and Mississippi was followed by declines in lab incidents. Law enforcement officials in Oregon and Mississippi attribute this reduction in large part to the prescription-only approach. Prescription-only status appears to have reduced overall demand for PSE products, but overall welfare impacts on consumers are unclear because of the lack of data, such as the cost of obtaining prescriptions. On the basis of the limited information available from health care providers in Oregon and Mississippi, there has not been a substantial increase in workload demands to provide and dispense prescriptions for PSE products.