Numer of Methamphetamine Users Rises

I am not sure it ever declined.  You can't base the number of users on the amount of labs, IMO.  Cutting back on the numbers of labs is great.  That would greatly decrease a whole set of risks.  However, as long as there is demand there will be a supply.  We have to tackle this issue from the prevention angle also.

QUINCY, ILL. -- It seems like every week there's a new arrest for methamphetamine use.

This week, a federal grand jury returned indictments charging two Quincy brothers with meth distribution.
People are finding new ways to purchase materials to make meth even with laws in place.
Methamphetamine use started in the midwest because the ingredients are easily available.
"For a significant period of time, these were larger meth labs: garage size operations or basement size operations, sometimes individual buildings doing fairly large quantities of meth," said Ron Howell of Recovery Resources.
But when the law restricting pseudoephedrine purchases passed a few years ago, the number of meth users dropped. Then, a new way of making meth was introduced. The shake and bake method lets users make meth in a two liter soda bottle. It makes a smaller amount for individual use, or for small groups of people.

"When the meth cooks discovered the shake and bake method, those numbers started to come back up again. So, now we're seeing an up-swing," said State's Attorney Jon Barnard.

State's Attorney Jon Barnard says in the entire state of Illinois, the convenience store with the highest number of psuedoephedrine sales isn't in Chicago or any other large city. It's right here in Quincy.
"What does that tell you? And it's not that the retail outlets are letting this stuff happen. They strictly comply with the law and they keep very close track, but it just tells you how relentless these people are," said Barnard.
Now, they're finding ways to get around the law. Smurfs, as they're called, buy psuedoephedrine for users, making it almost impossible to track who the drug is really for.
"Five to eight years ago it was kind of considered an extreme drug, unusual in terms of general addictive behavior. That's not the case anymore. It's become mainstream," said Ron Howell of Recovery Resources.
In 2004, the U.S. Department of Justice conducted a study, which ranked Illinois 4th in the country for meth arrests and meth lab seizures.
Methamphetamine users cost the state $2 billion dollars annually.
http://www.connecttristates.com/news/story.aspx?id=564099