Drug of choice among drug court participants participating in a rural Tennessee drug court

Drug Courts are special courts developed to address non-violent substance dependent offenders utilizing comprehensive supervision, drug testing and counseling services in lieu of jail/prison. In 1989 the first drug court began operation in Dade County Florida. Since 1989 over 2500 drugs courts have been developed across the United States. The 27th Judicial District Drug Court, which serves two rural west Tennessee counties, began operation in the fall of 2002. When the program was initiated methamphetamine abuse was rampant in rural west Tennessee where anhydrous ammonia was plentifully and there were no regulations in p lace regarding pseudoephrine procurement. In 2006, Tennessee passed legislation to limit the amount of pseudoephedrine that could be purchased at any one time and began a record keeping system to track the purchase of pseudoephedrine. The initial impact of this policy resulted in a reduction of methamphetamine lab busts across the state of Tennessee and a shift in drug of choice among drug court participants. New methods of methamphetamine production emerged. The “shake and bake” method requires smaller amounts of pseudoephedrine and is a must faster, cheaper, and simpler method of methamphetamine production. This presentation will look at the drug of choice trends prior to and following policy addressing pseudoephedrine procurement.