Are Supply-Side Drug Control Efforts Effective? Evaluating OTC Regulations Targeting Methamphetamine Precursors

Enforcement efforts are the primary approach to reducing illegal drug use in the U.S., but evidence on their effectiveness is mixed. We provide new evidence on the effectiveness of enforcement efforts by using rich administrative records and the staggered implementation of state laws targeting over-the-counter medicines that can be used to produce methamphetamine. We estimate that the regulations reduced the number of methamphetamine laboratories operating in a state by 36%. We find no evidence of changes in methamphetamine consumption or drug related arrests, suggesting that people were able to find methamphetamine produced out of state.