In 2011, Missouri law enforcement busted about five meth labs each day on average – almost double the number of any other state. The state spends more than $2 million dollars a year on cleanup of these labs, and millions more on incarceration, child care, and drug treatment.
In this second part of our series on meth in Missouri, reporter Kyle Deas asks:
So why does Missouri have so many meth labs?
Deas spoke with Ryan Barker, director of health policy for the Missouri Foundation for Health. He says the answer is complicated: "Is Missouri really the meth capital of the country? Or is it that meth is one of the priorities of our law officials?"
