A systematic review of methamphetamine precursor regulations

Aims: To assess the effectiveness of methamphetamine precursor regulations in reducing illicit methamphetamine supply and use. Methods: A systematic review of 12 databases was used to identify studies that had evaluated the impact of methamphetamine precursor regulations on methamphetamine supply an...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: McKetin, Rebecca, Sutherland, R., Bright, D., Norberg, M.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2011
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/56675
_version_ 1848759911242006528
author McKetin, Rebecca
Sutherland, R.
Bright, D.
Norberg, M.
author_facet McKetin, Rebecca
Sutherland, R.
Bright, D.
Norberg, M.
author_sort McKetin, Rebecca
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Aims: To assess the effectiveness of methamphetamine precursor regulations in reducing illicit methamphetamine supply and use. Methods: A systematic review of 12 databases was used to identify studies that had evaluated the impact of methamphetamine precursor regulations on methamphetamine supply and/or use. The guidelines of the Effective Practice and Organization of Care Group (EPOC) of The Cochrane Collaboration were used to determine which study designs were included and assess their quality. Results: Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies evaluated 15 interventions (13 regulations and two related interdiction efforts), all of which were located in North America. Interventions had consistent impacts across various indicators of methamphetamine supply and use. Seven of the 15 interventions produced reductions in methamphetamine indicators (ranging from 12% to 77%). Two of the largest impacts were seen following interdiction efforts, involving the closure of rogue pharmaceutical companies. There was no evidence of a shift into other types of drug use, or injecting use, although the impact on the synthetic drug market was not examined. Null effects were related largely to the existence of alternative sources of precursor chemicals or the availability of imported methamphetamine. Conclusions: Methamphetamine precursor regulations can reduce indicators of methamphetamine supply and use. Further research is needed to determine whether regulations can be effective outside North America, particularly in developing countries, and what impact they have on the broader synthetic drug market. Improved data on precursor diversion are needed to facilitate the evaluation of precursor regulations.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T10:07:24Z
format Journal Article
id curtin-20.500.11937-56675
institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T10:07:24Z
publishDate 2011
publisher Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling curtin-20.500.11937-566752018-01-08T08:22:18Z A systematic review of methamphetamine precursor regulations McKetin, Rebecca Sutherland, R. Bright, D. Norberg, M. Aims: To assess the effectiveness of methamphetamine precursor regulations in reducing illicit methamphetamine supply and use. Methods: A systematic review of 12 databases was used to identify studies that had evaluated the impact of methamphetamine precursor regulations on methamphetamine supply and/or use. The guidelines of the Effective Practice and Organization of Care Group (EPOC) of The Cochrane Collaboration were used to determine which study designs were included and assess their quality. Results: Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies evaluated 15 interventions (13 regulations and two related interdiction efforts), all of which were located in North America. Interventions had consistent impacts across various indicators of methamphetamine supply and use. Seven of the 15 interventions produced reductions in methamphetamine indicators (ranging from 12% to 77%). Two of the largest impacts were seen following interdiction efforts, involving the closure of rogue pharmaceutical companies. There was no evidence of a shift into other types of drug use, or injecting use, although the impact on the synthetic drug market was not examined. Null effects were related largely to the existence of alternative sources of precursor chemicals or the availability of imported methamphetamine. Conclusions: Methamphetamine precursor regulations can reduce indicators of methamphetamine supply and use. Further research is needed to determine whether regulations can be effective outside North America, particularly in developing countries, and what impact they have on the broader synthetic drug market. Improved data on precursor diversion are needed to facilitate the evaluation of precursor regulations. 2011 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/56675 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03582.x Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd. restricted
spellingShingle McKetin, Rebecca
Sutherland, R.
Bright, D.
Norberg, M.
A systematic review of methamphetamine precursor regulations
title A systematic review of methamphetamine precursor regulations
title_full A systematic review of methamphetamine precursor regulations
title_fullStr A systematic review of methamphetamine precursor regulations
title_full_unstemmed A systematic review of methamphetamine precursor regulations
title_short A systematic review of methamphetamine precursor regulations
title_sort systematic review of methamphetamine precursor regulations
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/56675