JEFFERSON CITY - The number of meth labs uncovered by law enforcement is going up.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that across Missouri methamphetamine laboratory incident seizures totaled 2,096 during 2011, an increase of more than 6 percent from 2010.
Missouri saw a drop in the number of meth lab seizures in 2006, after anti-meth lab legislation was enacted, according to the Patrol. However, from 2007 to 2011, the number of meth lab incidents in Missouri has increased steadily.
This rise can be attributed in part to meth manufacturers circumventing laws that restrict the legal limit purchase of pseudoephedrine, the Patrol stated in a news release. Pseudoephedrine is the key ingredient used to make meth. It is also the only ingredient that cannot be substituted in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
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