Shake and Bake: Exploring Drug Producers’ Adaptability to Legal Restrictions Through Online Methamphetamine Recipes

Abstract

Despite numerous regulations, methamphetamine consumption persists; its availability has even increased in the United States. Methamphetamine is produced in small labs and super labs that are differentiated by the quantity of drug they generate and by how they are embedded in trafficking networks. The stagnant statistics regarding methamphetamine consumption and lab seizures suggest that laws have been ineffective, partly due to the producers’ adaptability. To understand this adaptation, methamphetamine recipes collected online will be analyzed through a qualitative methodology. Emphasis will be placed on the impact of the American legislation toward synthetic drug production. This article describes how methamphetamine producers have adapted to get around the regulations. The producers synthesize the regulated precursors by extracting them from processed products. To comply with the quotas imposed by law, the producers limit their quantities used. This article suggests that producers keep abreast of legislations and perfect the recipes accordingly.

Keywords

methamphetamine production criminal adaptation internet regulations synthetic drug methamphetamine adaptation drugs

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