© 2024 MICHIGAN PUBLIC
91.7 Ann Arbor/Detroit 104.1 Grand Rapids 91.3 Port Huron 89.7 Lansing 91.1 Flint
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Despite law, meth still prevalent in southwest Michigan

user Robertv!
/
Flickr

Did a law aimed at reducing methamphetamine use in Michigan produce results?

In 2011, Governor Rick Snyder signed a bill that curbed the amount of pseudoephedrine Michiganders can buy. An active ingredient in some cold and allergy medications, pseudoephedrine is also a critical component to meth production.

 

Here's a breakdown on the types of arrests for methamphetamines in Michigan in 2010:

 

 

 

Credit Michigan State Police
/
Michigan State Police
A breakdown of meth-related arrests from 2010 data.

But as MLive and the Kalamazoo Gazette reported, meth consumption and production in Michigan — especially in the southwest part of the state — hasn’t fallen as dramatically as legislators had hoped.

"The problem is bad as ever," said Capt. David Boysen of the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team, a Kalamazoo County drug enforcement team based within the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety.

MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette will be doing a series on meth in Michigan this week, examining everything from the road to recovery for meth addicts to policies being drafted by lawmakers now.

- Melanie Kruvelis, Michigan Radio Newsroom

Related Content