Relationship between state precursor laws and methamphetamine small toxic lab seizures

Policy efforts to reduce the social and economic costs of methamphetamine small toxic lab (STL) production in the United States have focused primarily on state-level precursor laws. While significant anecdotal evidence exists for the success of such efforts, little scientific research has been done to investigate if such laws are related to reductions in STL production and related activity. This presentation investigates between-state short-term associations between state precursor laws (focusing on ephedrine and pseudo-ephedrine) and state-level STL-related outcomes for an initial sample of five states, examining changes in STL seizure outcomes by the degree of severity of a variety of state policy measures. Data include (a) state policy methamphetamine precursor data as of October 1, 2005, and (b) STL seizure information obtained from the Drug Enforcement Administration's El Paso Intelligence Center's National Clandestine Laboratory Seizure System (CLSS). States included provide significant variance on a variety of measures, including (a) presence of any precursor laws, (b) precursor scheduling via state Controlled Substances Acts, (c) retail sales limit quantities, (d) sales environment restrictions, and (e) purchase and possession penalties. Using a non-experimental pre-post test design and controlling for general trends in methamphetamine use and state-level socio-demographic characteristics, STL-related outcomes to be examined include changes in the number of overall STL seizures, quantity of substances seized, and number of children affected related to STL operation. Results from these analyses will provide important information for policy makers considering expansions of, or amendments to, their jurisdiction's precursor policies.