RALEIGH, N.C., Feb. 27 (UPI) -- The number of methamphetamine lab busts in North Carolina hit a record high last year partly because of cheaper, simpler ways of making the drug, officials say.
The number of meth labs raided in 2011 increased to 344 -- up 57 percent since 2006, when state laws restricted the purchase of its key ingredient, pseudoephedrine, The (Raleigh) News & Observer reported.
While the number of busts have increased, Attorney General Roy Cooper said the laws are working, as the number of large-scale labs is declining. The total number of busts is rising, however, because of the simpler, cheaper method of making it known as the "one-pot" or "shake-and-bake" method.
The method requires fewer ingredients and they're mixed in a 2-liter soda bottle instead of unsealed makeshift beakers. The bottles are still legally considered meth labs and officials say they're dangerous, as explosions aren't as big but are more frequent.
The method "has escalated to the point where it accounts for about half of the labs we bust," Cooper said.
He pointed out the state's first one-pot lab bust came in 2009.
Cooper said he hopes to see a decline in the number of meth labs as a result of a law enacted this year requiring pharmacies to use an electronic-tracking system to determine whether someone has reached the limit on the number of pseudoephedrine purchases allowed.
