Small, portable meth labs pose a new threat to communities in the fight against this devastating drug.

The highly-addictive stimulant methamphetamine can be made from household ingredients -- including over-the-counter cold medications containing pseudoephedrine.  After the 2005 Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act restricted over-the-counter sales of pseudoephedrine, the number of meth labs in the United States dropped nearly 80 percent.

But even with these limitations, some meth cooks have found ways around the law with a new one-pot method, threatening the progress that communities have made in the fight against this devastating drug. For example, in the first three months of 2009, the Tulsa Police Department discovered almost 60 labs, compared to 41 in all of 2008.  At a community summit to address the one-pot crisis last month, Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor warned that if the situation doesn’t improve, “the cost of responding to meth-related fires and incidents will start breaking police and fire department budgets in these already-difficult economic times.”

According to a Partnership survey of 20 U.S. law enforcement agencies, the one-pot method takes less time, leaves less mess and is just as strong and addictive as the meth produced in super labs in Mexico and California. With ingredients small enough to fit inside a backpack, this new method eliminates the ammonia odor, the usual tell-tale sign that a meth lab is present.

“The meth cooks are using this method because it is quicker and less traceable,” explains Detective Andrew Munsterman with the Warrensburg Police Department in Warrensburg, MO. “It is extremely dangerous and very popular now, because of the crackdown of traditional meth labs by law enforcement.”

Often made in a vehicle or motel room, the one-pot method produces low quantities and low quality meth and is usually made for personal use. The one-pot method involves mixing pseudoephedrine and other readily available chemicals in a plastic two-liter soda bottle. Once the meth is extracted, the cook often disposes of the waste materials by flushing them down the toilet or dumping them roadside.

“This is the most common method in our community, and unfortunately we see plenty of this,” says Officer Grant Melton with the Louisville Metro Police Department. “This method is just as dangerous as a traditional meth lab and there are always unknown chemicals involved and this always causes a hazard to the everyday citizen.”

“ If you come across a discarded container used to produce meth,” he adds, “contact your local police department about your concerns.”