Methamphetamine Use Drops Sharply

Great news!

Close to one in 10 Americans say they regularly use illegal drugs, including cocaine, hallucinogens, heroin, inhalants and prescription drugs used recreationally, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, USA Today reports.The most common drug is marijuana, which has around 17.4 million regular users, or 6.9 percent of the U.S. population. That’s up from the 5.8 percent in 2007. The increase corresponds with the number of states — now at 16 — approving medical marijuana.

The good news is that use of methamphetamine use, which exploded around the country for the past 10 years, has plummeted. The number of past-month users dropped from 731,000 in 2006 to reach 353,000 last year.

Since 2001, when methamphetamine began to race around the country, states have restricted or banned ingredients used to make meth, such as the pseudoephedrine often used in over-the-counter cold medications, said Peter Delany, director of the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

“We’ve seen better attention for law enforcement and policy changes. You can’t get all the Sudafed you want anymore,” said Delany.

And, despite what some cold remedy drug manufacturers say, the new laws both federal and state have been effective.

The federal government now needs to crack down on the Mexico border, squeeze the Mexican drug cartels that make Meth in Mexico and then smuggle the drug into the USA.

Here is a video on the Meth Epidemic:

Watch The Meth Epidemic on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.