Pseudoephedrine's Illegal Circulation

Pseudoephedrine is helpful in curing colds, but drug addicts and dealers have begun using it for illegal purposes. “Meth cooks are using sniffle pills to manufacture methamphetamine,” also known as meth (Roosevelt). Pills containing pseudoephedrine have been circulated into the drug market for use; it is the main ingredient in meth. “This new breed of lab,” as described by Drug Enforcement Administration agent Dennis Wichern, “is using pseudoephedrine that can be [easily] bought at retail stores.” He goes on to describe his surprise at the use of this over-the-counter drug in methamphetamine. Pseudoephedrine’s easy-access has helped contribute to the expansion and availability of methamphetamine in the illegal drug circuit.

Drug traffickers buy pseudoephedrine, but how is it processed in able to make illegal drugs? The “‘pseudo’ is extracted from the cold pills, and cooked with other chemicals like iodine and anhydrous ammonia…over high heat” (Jefferson). The resulting compound is methamphetamine. This recipe can be found in how-to articles circulating the Internet. The use of pseudoephedrine for the manufacturing of meth is becoming increasingly popular, so drug retailers have begun placing pseudoephedrine products behind the counter. Government laws have also been enacted in order to solve the escalating problem. These actions have been taken in order to lessen pseudoephedrine’s illegal uses. I will discuss the legal actions taken in my next blog entry.

Works Cited:

Jefferson, David J. “America’s Most Dangerous Drug.” Newsweek 8 Aug. 2005

Roosevelt, Margot. “The Cold-Pill Crackdown.” Time 30 Jan. 2005.

Wichern, Dennis. “The War on Meth.” Newsweek 31 Jul. 2005.