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Meth Epidemic Solutions
Before the Indiana Criminal Law and Sentencing Policy Study Committee
September 8, 2010
The Oregon Experience
Resource Notebook
Website and e-mail
www.oregondec.org
In the world of drug control . . .
• . . . meth is unique.
• Why?
Pseudo/ephedrine and Meth
(+)-Pseudoephedrine (C10H15NO) (+)-Methamphetamine (C10H15N)
A meth lab:
(+)-Pseudoephedrine (C10H15NO)(+)-Methamphetamine (C10H15N)
(Ogata or Birch reduction)
Start with pseudo/ephedrine
Remove the hydroxyl group
Add back hydrogen
Developments in Mexico
• Mexico has banned PSE entirely
• This is a really good thing
• Why?– DTOs forced to use Phenyl Acetic Acid (PAA)
– The immediate precursor to Phenylacetoneaka Phenyl-2-Propanone (P2P)
– P2P makes dl-meth (half as potent as d-meth)
• Means DTO meth potency is down– Don’t confuse potency with purity
The four P’s of meth
Diamonds (4 C’s)
• Color
• Cut
• Carat
• Clarity
Meth (4 P’s)
• Price
• Purity
• Pounds
• Potency
Method
DTO meth potency down
Right now Mexican DTO meth is
• Pure (Purity)
• Cheap (Price) and
• Plentiful (Pounds)
• . . . but weak (Potency)
This is a good thing
• But this means more pressure to cook meth here in the United States
–User labs
–Super labs
• All of this is fueled by
–Smurfing, smurfing, smurfing
Where the smurfing is happening . . .
Midwest and South• Thousands of small user labs
The West
• “Super smurfing”
• Where does it go?
• Super labs in Central California
Dealing with smurfing . . .
• Electronic PSE database monitoring– Expensive
• More arrests and incarceration
– Burdensome
• On law enforcement, pharmacists, etc
– Reactive
• Arrest way out of smurfing
– Doesn’t work
• Can’t stop two of three kinds of smurfing
Smurfing solutions
Getting rid of smurfing . . .
• Returning PSE to a prescription drug
• As it was prior to 1976
• Oregon enacted in 2005
• Went into effect July 1, 2006
Smurfing by example . . .
Smurfing by example . . .
There were only a few “no” votes
• HB 2485– 9 out of 90
• SB 907– 1 out of 90
Did the sky fall?The parade of horribles . . .
PARADE ITEMS:• Public outcry
• Inconvenience
• Medicaid costs
• Impact on poor
• Forced out of OR
• Won’t work
NACDSCHPAJ&J
Oregon Results
• Smurfing eliminated
• Oregon is no longer a part of the problem
And the sky didn’t fall . . .The parade of horribles never came true
PARADE ITEMS:• Public outcry
• Inconvenience
• Medicaid costs
• Impact on poor
• Forced out of OR
• Won’t work
NACDSCHPAJ&J
. . . and more . . .
• “Law Enforcement does not want to arrest more smurfers or find more methamphetamine labs. Law Enforcement wants to eliminate smurfing and prevent methamphetamine labs.”
– NMPI position paper (October 2009)
NMPI Advisory Board
Missouri
• 14 municipalities
• PSE to RxO
Missouri
• Results . . .
Mississippi
• PSE RxO
• Goes into effect 7/1/2010
New Zealand . . . • The latest to move PSE to Rx only . . .
• and reject industry’s offer to pay for tracking system . . .
In 1976 . . .
• We let a Genie out of the bottle
– We moved PSE from Rx to OTC
• Ever since – band aids
• Growing meth epidemic and meth labs . . .
– Destroying lives, families, neighborhoods
– Poisoning our environment and drug endangered children
• Oregon simply put Genie back in the bottle
– Pure prevention
Keep in mind . . .
• 1. NOTE at bottom of Oregon Fact Sheet
– 2005: Just over 382,000 kilos
– 2006: CMEA
– 2010: Just over 650,000 kilos
• 2. Motives
– PSE product manufacturers
– CHPA / NADDI / Appriss
• 3. We are only talking about 15 products (plus generics of those 15)
A real solution • It has been over 4 years since Oregon
returned PSE to a prescription drug• We no longer have to guess what
works– And what doesn’t work
• After 4 years of actual experience in Oregon:– Smurfing has been eliminated– Concerns about PSE doctor
shopping have not materialized– Little to no public outcry
Meth Epidemic Solutions
Before the Indiana Criminal Law and Sentencing Policy Study Committee
The Oregon Experience
Questions?