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Published on: April 23, 2019
Mexico's methamphetamine precursor chemical interventions: impacts on drug treatment admissions
James K Cunningham1, Ietza Bojorquez, Octavio Campollo
1Department of Family and Community Medicine, The University of Arizona, 1450 N. Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA. jkcunnin@email.arizona.edu
Aims:
To help counter problems related to methamphetamine, Mexico has implemented interventions targeting pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, the precursor chemicals commonly used in the drug's synthesis. This study examines whether the interventions impacted methamphetamine treatment admissions-an indicator of methamphetamine consequences.
Design:
Quasi-experiment: autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA)-based intervention time-series analysis.
Interventions:
precursor chemical restrictions implemented beginning November 2005; major rogue precursor chemical company closed (including possibly the largest single drug-cash seizure in history) March 2007; precursor chemicals banned from Mexico (North America's first precursor ban) August 2008.
Settings:
Mexico and Texas (1996-2008).
Measurements:
Monthly treatment admissions for methamphetamine (intervention series) and cocaine, heroin and alcohol (quasi-control series).
Findings:
The precursor restriction was associated with temporary methamphetamine admissions decreases of 12% in Mexico and 11% in Texas. The company closure was associated with decreases of 56% in Mexico and 48% in Texas; these decreases generally remained to the end of the study period. Neither intervention was associated with significant changes in the Mexico or Texas quasi-control series. The analysis of Mexico's ban was indeterminate due largely to a short post-ban series.
Conclusions:
This study, one of the first quasi-experimental analyses of an illicit-drug policy in Mexico, indicates that the country's precursor interventions were associated with positive impacts domestically and in one of the Unites States' most populous states--Texas. These interventions, coupled with previous US and Canadian interventions, amount to a new, relatively cohesive level of methamphetamine precursor control across North America's largest nations, raising the possibility that the impacts found here could continue for an extended period.
Insights
Mexico’s interventions targeting methamphetamine precursor chemicals, pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, significantly reduced drug treatment admissions. These precursor chemical controls show positive impacts domestically and in Texas, suggesting sustained effects across North America.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Criminology
- Substance Abuse Research
Background:
- Methamphetamine use poses significant public health challenges.
- Mexico has implemented precursor chemical control strategies to combat illicit methamphetamine production.
- Pseudoephedrine and ephedrine are key precursor chemicals for methamphetamine synthesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of Mexican precursor chemical interventions on methamphetamine treatment admissions.
- To assess the effectiveness of these policies as an indicator of reduced methamphetamine consequences.
Main Methods:
- A quasi-experimental design using autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA)-based intervention time-series analysis.
- Analysis of monthly treatment admissions for methamphetamine and control substances (cocaine, heroin, alcohol) in Mexico and Texas from 1996 to 2008.
- Examination of interventions including precursor chemical restrictions (2005), a major company closure (2007), and a precursor ban (2008).
Main Results:
- Precursor chemical restrictions were associated with temporary decreases in methamphetamine treatment admissions (12% in Mexico, 11% in Texas).
- The closure of a major precursor chemical company led to substantial and sustained decreases (56% in Mexico, 48% in Texas).
- No significant changes were observed in control substance treatment admissions, indicating policy specificity.
Conclusions:
- Mexico's precursor chemical interventions demonstrated positive impacts on methamphetamine treatment admissions within Mexico and Texas.
- These findings suggest that coordinated precursor control efforts across North America can effectively reduce the consequences of illicit drug production.
- The study highlights the potential for sustained positive impacts from these drug policy interventions.
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