“One guy goes down, another one takes over”
And on and on it goes. Where it stops, nobody knows:
OLYMPIA, Wash. — The small meth lab — a toxic, dangerous and squalid symbol of the methamphetamine problem — is becoming a rarity in Washington and around the country, but the drug itself remains.
The number of meth labs found in Washington dropped by more than 50 percent last year, a decrease credited in part to tough new laws that include banning over-the-counter sales of everyday cold and allergy medications that are used to make methamphetamine.
But into the void stepped Mexican-based drug organizations that ship a purer, more addictive form of the drug — crystal meth, also known as “ice.” Officials now say that 75 percent of the state’s meth comes from outside its borders, compared to an estimated 50 percent in 2001.
“As we have controlled our domestic problem, our importation problem has increased exponentially,” said Washington State Patrol Detective Sgt. Gary Gasseling, who works with the state’s Meth Initiative, a coalition of treatment, prevention and enforcement agencies. “These people are very, very well organized, very well connected and they know what they’re doing. This is big business for them.” (Link)
This is a good example of how consumers are better off when the market is allowed to function. I for one was sick of that homemade shit that goes up poof! & it’s gone.