-from khqa.com-

By Chad Douglas

In 2007, it had 1285 busts…more than double the number two state - Indiana.

The good news is in 2005, Missouri had 2252 busts, so things are getting better.

But officials say there’s still a long way to go.

How big of a problem is meth in this area these days?

“It’s still a problem. I believe the pseudoephedrine law can take credit for some of the decrease in meth labs in our area,” says Tim Forney with the NEMO Task Force.

Each of the tri-states has some form of a pseudoephedrine law. That’s why you can no longer buy many cold medicines over the counter. But, meth makers may find ways around those laws.

“Slowly it seems they may be. But I think the law is still effective. We don’t see as much cooks cooking meth as we did before or as frequency as they did before,” adds Forney.

Forney also says his agency’s seen a drop in meth lab intelligence, meaning agents aren’t tracking as many labs as they have in the past.

“But with that, we also saw an increase in the sale of other drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and an increase in ecstasy,” says Forney.

In all, this is good news because making meth poses a harm to other people too because of the danger it takes to make it. And meth is more addictive and it deteriorates the body faster than other drugs.

After looking at the statistics for Missouri, I noticed Marion County had the most busts in our viewing area with 16.