Unlike other drugs of abuse that must be imported from other parts of the world at great expense and requiring sophisticated planning and resources, the production of methamphetamine is conducted in makeshift meth labs set up in private homes or in abandoned structures, which partly explains its prevalence in rural communities. Similarly, one of the primary ingredients for manufacturing methamphetamine is an anhydrous ammonia, which is used extensively in farming in the manufacture of pesticides, making rural areas ideal for meth labs because of the increased availability of potential sources of that ingredient. The production of methamphetamine is extremely dangerous because of the chemicals involved which can cause explosions if mishandled.

Because both the chemicals and the waste byproducts of the production process are so toxic, meth labs represent considerable danger to those involved in manufacturing methamphetamine, as well as to neighbors in the community and law enforcement authorities...

Several over-the-counter medications such as cold remedies and antihistamines containing pseudoephedrine also provide ingredients used in methamphetamine production. Dramatic increases in methamphetamine production prompted federal authorities to impose restrictions on the purchase of these products, which must now be maintained behind the counter and require purchasers to provide identification and to sign a log book in order to purchase those products for legitimate use (SAMSHA, 2009).
Bibliography

Dershowitz, a.M. (2002) Shouting Fire: Civil Liberties in a Turbulent Age. New York: Little Brown & Co.

SAMSHA (2009). U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Methamphetamine. Retrieved February 9, 2009, at http://www.raconline.org/info_guides/meth/

Schmalleger, F. (2008). Criminal Justice: An Introductory Text for the 21st Century. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.