I offer this up as a post for thought. I really don't have the time to research and stake out a definitive position to that effect right now. I'm listening to Jeff Wagner discuss this topic on the radio right, and combining that with a little logic, it seems that the cold medicine-crystal meth link is very small compared to the hype it is receiving. Two reasons. One, buying the cold medicine and reprocessing does not seem cost effective, given that it takes something like 1000 pills to create an ounce of crystal meth. Second, it also seems that the major source of ephedrine comes from smuggled supplies via Mexico. Is this cold medicine scare just that, a scare?
Update
In regards to the financial viability of producing crystal meth from cold medicine, it is very viable. If 1000 cold medicine pills is the magic number for 1 ounce of meth, it would take 14 packages of the Sudafed PE Maximum Strength, 72 count, at a cost of approximately $202. An ounce of crystal meth goes for about $7000. Also, in a city the size of Janesville (60,000), a person could easily get 14 packages of this medicine without raising any suspicions-with or without restrictions. A prospective meth cooker could buy two packages at Walmart, Shopko, Kmart, Target, Walgreens #1, Walgreens #2, and any one grocery store and have enough for an ounce of meth.
I am still disturbed by the lack of hard facts that I'm (not) coming up with to tie cold medicine to the manufacture of crystal meth, but the financial part of the equation seems to work.
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