Mark Schlachtenhaufen
The Edmond Sun
EDMOND — Meth users are turning to a new a cooking process that already may be present in Edmond.
Mark Woodward, spokesman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, said individuals in some parts of the state are making methamphetamine the “shake and bake” way, using a soda bottle to produce a hit more rapidly. And the method uses chemicals that easily can ignite, Woodward said.
The recipe includes several lithium strips from a camera battery, some starter fluid, some ether, a small amount of water, some ammonia nitrate, which is found in therapeutic cold packs sold in grocery stores, and cold pills containing pseudoephedrine.
The cook puts the ingredients in a 20-ounce plastic soda bottle until it’s about half full and shakes it, creating a heat reaction. A few steps later, about 40 minutes after beginning, the cook produces enough meth for one “hit,” which lasts from 4-14 hours.
Mark Myers, spokesman for the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office, said agency personnel have not yet encountered these meth labs.
Edmond Police spokeswoman Glynda Chu and Oklahoma City Police Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow said the same is true for their agency.
Woodward said the shake and bake method is gradually spreading across the state, and while metro area law enforcement agencies have not reported any incidents yet, this activity already could be happening locally.
Meth background
Meth is an addictive stimulant that can be smoked, injected or snorted. It typically is a yellowish, brownish or off-white powder, closer to a pure white powder depending on its purity and the integrity of the cooking process used to produce it, according to the OBN.
Abusers on a “speed binge” often consume up to 1,000 milligrams every three hours. Males and females use meth at similar rates, and use is greatest in the 19-40 age group, according to a state-produced meth prevention guidebook.
The drug produces a brief, extremely pleasurable “rush,” high agitation and violence, weakness and insomnia, decreased appetite, irritability, anxiety, nervousness and convulsions.
In the 1980s, cooks discovered that ephedrine produces methamphetamine, better known as “crystal meth,” and is twice as potent. In the 1990s, meth cooks began using pill form medications, which must be broken down.
As a result, the number of meth labs seized by the OBN increased dramatically from 10 in 1994 to 1,277 in 2004.
A state law passed in 2004 placed restrictions on the availability of pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient for making meth. Meth labs began drying up, resulting in declines in meth fires, burn victims, children harmed from meth lab fumes and related prison costs.
Skirting state law
Under state law, customers are limited to 9 grams of pseudoephedrine in a one-month period without a prescription. Oklahoma uses a system that helps law enforcement track persons trying to buy more pseudoephedrine than state law allows.
Woodward said meth cooks traditionally attempt to acquire as much pseudoephedrine as they can. Many shake and bake cooks use fake or altered ID cards to buy pseudoephedrine. While meth labs have declined by more than 90 percent in the past several years, the growing number of shake and bake labs use smaller quantities of pseudoephedrine.
Chu said Edmond is not immune to the meth problem and shake and bake meth makers eventually will arrive here.
“The days of the larger meth labs seem to be fading into the past,” Chu said. “This new type of activity is more difficult to pinpoint because it basically is a disposable lab mainly designed for personal use. Many times they are mixing this up in bottles in vehicles and are literally on the move.”
Chu said not only are the resulting fumes toxic, but these meth makers are discarding items used during the process in trash bins and alongside roadways, creating not just a danger to themselves, but to the public.
The OBN is working with lawmakers to address the problem. Meanwhile, Woodward encouraged anyone encountering one of the discarded bottles to call police. The bottle will contain water and what appears to be sludge, and the chemicals can burn skin or eyes and ignite if they come in contact with a heat source, he said.
marks@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 102
