Pharmaceutical sales of pseudoephedrine: The impact of electronic tracking systems on methamphetamine crime incidents

Abstract:

Background and aims: Electronic tracking systems (ETS) are used extensively in pharmacies across the United States and Australia to control suspicious sales of pseudoephedrine. This study measures the impact of one ETS–Project STOP—on the capacity of police to reduce production, supply and possession of methamphetamine.

Design: Using official police data of incidents of production, supply and possession from January 1996 to December 2011 (n = 192 data points/months over 16 years), we used a quasi‐experimental, time–series approach.

Setting: The State of Queensland, Australia.

Participants: No individual participants are included in the study. The unit of analysis is reported police incidents.

Measurements: The study examines the impact of the ETS on production (n = 5938 incidents), drug supply and trafficking (n = 20 094 incidents) and drug possession or use (n = 118 926) of methamphetamine.

Findings: Introduction of the ETS in November 2005 was associated with an insignificant decrease (P = 0.15) in the production of methamphetamine. The intervention was associated with a statistically significant increase in supply incidents (P = 0.0001). There was no statistically significant effect on the incidence of possession (P = 0.59).

Conclusions: Electronic tracking systems can reduce the capacity of people to produce methamphetamine domestically, but seem unlikely to affect other aspects of the methamphetamine problem such as possession, distribution and importation.