Southeast Missouri has been a haven for makers of methamphetamine, an illegal drug that is extremely addictive, has devastating and sometimes deadly side effects and is easy to produce, especially in sparsely populated rural areas.

One effort to hamper meth production has been a 2005 Missouri law that limits the sale of over-the-counter medications with pseudoephedrine as an ingredient. Pseudoephedrine is one of the components required to make meth. By law, only pharmacies can sell medications with pseudoephedrine as an active ingredient. The product must be kept away from the public. Purchasers must have a photo ID. Purchases are tracked. And only a limited quantity of pseudoephedrine can be sold to individuals unless they have prescriptions.

With these safeguards, the production of meth dropped for a while. But law enforcement officials say sales of pseudoephedrine products are climbing again. To slow those illegal sales, there has been a crackdown involving surveillance of pharmacies and stores that sell other ingredients used to make meth.

In a recent three-day operation, the SEMO Drug Task Force and the Sikeston Department of Public Safety made 20 felony arrests, cutting off some of the supply of meth ingredients.

It will take more of this kind of targeted enforcement to make a real dent in meth production. Officials also are watching for shipments of meth from outside the area, and meth labs are still being discovered and destroyed.

Collectively, these measures can make an important difference in the manufacture, distribution and use of this deadly drug.