Potent Mexican Meth Floods In as States Curb Domestic Variety

Submitted by Bill St. Clair on Wed, 25 Jan 2006 17:36:59 GMT  <== Politics ==> 

Kate Zernike at The New York Times - the war on decongestants (hat tip to Dave Polaschek for that term) has been so successful that high-grade Mexican crystal meth has become more prevalent than the local variety. Way to go drug warriors. Not! [picks]

Sometimes called ice, crystal methamphetamine is far purer, and therefore even more highly addictive, than powdered home-cooked methamphetamine, a change that health officials say has led to greater risk of overdose. And because crystal methamphetamine costs more, the police say thefts are increasing, as people who once cooked at home now have to buy it.

The University of Iowa Burn Center, which in 2004 spent $2.8 million treating people whose skin had been scorched off by the toxic chemicals used to make methamphetamine at home, says it now sees hardly any cases of that sort. Drug treatment centers, on the other hand, say they are treating just as many or more methamphetamine addicts.

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