Photo: Kory C.
Police and sheriff's agencies have curtailed their enforcement of methamphetamine because they can no longer afford the clean-up costs associated with the labs, concludes an investigative report by the Associated Press.
Law enforcement agencies have called off meth-busting tactics such as sending agents undercover, conducting door-to-door investigations and setting up stakeouts at pharmacies to catch people buying large amounts of cold medicine.
The cutbacks came after the Drug Enforcement Administration in February canceled a program that provided millions of dollars to help local agencies pay for the disposal of seized labs. The number of labs seized has fallen by a third in several more prominent meth-producing states and by two-thirds in Alabama.
Meth-lab cleanup can cost approximately $2,500 per lab. In the past, law enforcement agencies shouldered the bill and received reimbursement from the DEA.
Source: Associated Press via Newser
