Sudafed and meth

A long feature from the Tennessee Journalist documents the connection between OTC Sudafed and methamphetamine production, clocking the ins and outs of meth cookers, sick people, and new regulations to limit sales of Sudafed, a popular antihistamine and meth precursor. It's not just the stores, the cops, and the people with runny noses who are scrambling, it's the pharmaceutical industry as well...

Fearful of losing sales, pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, the producer of Sudafed, have introduced a new drug that will stay out on racks. Sudafed PE, which has been in stores since early 2006, has phenylehprine as its active ingredient.

Unfortunately, studies have shown that not only is the phenylephrine not as good as the previously used pseudoephedrine, it's barely better than a placebo.

Dianna Drake, a pharmacist in the Knoxville area, said, "It's not nearly as good. People complain all the time."

But she's still skeptical about selling real Sudafed. "Most people want it for legitimate use, but you get people coming in from other counties. They weren't just driving by and suddenly got congested. Meth is a cheap, accessible drug for people who can't afford pills or other hard drugs."

Even with the law in place, some pharmacies sell the drug anyway. Brock said, "There are plenty of Mom and Pop pharmacies in rural areas that just don't have the business. They need to sell Sudafed to make money, so they do, even though it's illegal."

This article goes into some depth about what the average meth cooker has to go through to get enough Sudafed for a batch of meth. It also has a fairly good section on the effects of meth, and then tells you how to cook it up! You gotta love the media...