Meth labs down in Tennessee

photo Law enforcement conduct a meth lab bust in this file photo.

Law enforcement agencies across Tennessee are trumpeting a drop in meth lab busts, but their excitement is tempered by a cheaper, stronger version of the drug coming into the state from the same Mexican drug cartels that bring heroin and cocaine.

Methamphetamine lab busts and seizures are down 41 percent across the state, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Other meth-heavy states such as Missouri and Oklahoma have seen similar trends this year.

Stronger enforcement and new legislation regulating the sale of key ingredient pseudoephedrine are getting credit for the drop, but expert Mike Stanfill said it is also tied to large amounts of the drug that have started coming in from Mexico over the past year.

Read more at The Tennessean.

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