2008 Woodie Awards
Local meth numbers drop
Chris Boning
Issue date: 2/14/08 Section: News
At the moment, the legal permissible amount of pseudoephedrine consumers may buy is less than nine grams - the equivalent of about four packages - every 30 days, Bernhardt said.
However, Bernhardt said a new trend that has appeared is a practice known as "smurfing" - meth producers stock up on pseudoephedrine by going from one pharmacy to another.
"Although we do check on that, it's one of those things that there are some ways that they have been able to get the product to make meth," he said.
Bernhardt said there are a variety of ways the patrol investigates smurfing, including the use of undercover officers and calling on the help of local drug task forces.
Bernhardt said meth incidents are totaled from lab seizures and investigations, and that figures are reported to both highway patrol and the Midwest High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area office.
Kirksville Police Chief Jim Hughes said another reason for the reduction of meth incidents in Adair County has been an intense collaborative effort among the community, local law enforcement, the Adair County drug court and other groups.
"Three, 4 1/2 years ago ... that's when the community came together and said 'enough's enough, we're not going to tolerate this any more, [and] if we're going to be known for something, let's not let it be meth,'" he said.
Hughes also said that five years ago, people could drive along country roads in the area and easily spot abandoned meth paraphernalia.
"That's almost unheard of at the present moment," he said.
Hughes said all parties involved with the meth eradication effort know that there still is work to be done.
"[Fighting meth] requires continuous vigilance on the part of the entire community," he said. "We've watched these trends very carefully."
Doing otherwise would be a disservice to everyone who has been a part of the effort against meth, he added.
Hughes said lately local law enforcement has been actively monitoring pseudoephedrine logs at local pharmacies. He added that the pseudoephedrine laws have been useful in reducing meth incidents, although local law enforcement agencies started achieving success before the new regulations went into effect.
However, Bernhardt said a new trend that has appeared is a practice known as "smurfing" - meth producers stock up on pseudoephedrine by going from one pharmacy to another.
"Although we do check on that, it's one of those things that there are some ways that they have been able to get the product to make meth," he said.
Bernhardt said there are a variety of ways the patrol investigates smurfing, including the use of undercover officers and calling on the help of local drug task forces.
Bernhardt said meth incidents are totaled from lab seizures and investigations, and that figures are reported to both highway patrol and the Midwest High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area office.
Kirksville Police Chief Jim Hughes said another reason for the reduction of meth incidents in Adair County has been an intense collaborative effort among the community, local law enforcement, the Adair County drug court and other groups.
"Three, 4 1/2 years ago ... that's when the community came together and said 'enough's enough, we're not going to tolerate this any more, [and] if we're going to be known for something, let's not let it be meth,'" he said.
Hughes also said that five years ago, people could drive along country roads in the area and easily spot abandoned meth paraphernalia.
"That's almost unheard of at the present moment," he said.
Hughes said all parties involved with the meth eradication effort know that there still is work to be done.
"[Fighting meth] requires continuous vigilance on the part of the entire community," he said. "We've watched these trends very carefully."
Doing otherwise would be a disservice to everyone who has been a part of the effort against meth, he added.
Hughes said lately local law enforcement has been actively monitoring pseudoephedrine logs at local pharmacies. He added that the pseudoephedrine laws have been useful in reducing meth incidents, although local law enforcement agencies started achieving success before the new regulations went into effect.
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