Check it Out: • 1 LB of METH = 5 LBS of   TOXIC WASTE • In 2004 alone, there were more   than 10,000 meth lab cleanups   at a cost of $18.6 million (Source: DEA, NIDA, NIH, USDHHS)

Other Drug Information: Alcohol Cocaine Ecstasy Fentanyl Hallucinogens Heroin Inhalants LSD Marijuana Prescription Drugs Steroids

The Many Faces of Meth: Before After

(Source: Multnomah County Sheriff's Office - Faces of Meth™)

House Passes Bill to Control Meth Chemicals

A bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in July 2005 calls on the State Department to estimate the legitimate need for chemicals like pseudoephedrine and punish countries that intentionally overproduce these chemicals to feed the illegal drug market.

The Oregonian reported that the measure, passed on a 423-2 vote, would require the State Department to estimate the demand for pseudoephedrine and ephedrine for manufacturing cold medicine and compare it to actual imports from producing countries. Nations that intentionally oversupply the market would face loss of U.S. foreign aid.

Cooperation between law-enforcement officials in the U.S. and Mexico is seen as key to stopping the spread of meth. Mexico currently imports twice as much pseudoephedrine than it needs for legitimate uses, and Mexican drug cartels produce an estimated 65 percent of the meth consumed in the U.S.

Rep. Darlene Hooley (D-Ore.) said the U.S. must start "engaging our allies to stop the mass production of meth, rather than solely focusing on its limited domestic manufacturing."