Rigid state laws appear to be having a definite impact in lowering the prevalence of methamphetamine labs in this region and throughout North Dakota.

According to the North Dakota Attorney General's Office, only 10 meth labs have been documented for the entire state for the first 10 months of the year. State officials are calling that a big improvement from 2 1/2 years ago when the state approached just under 300. Northwest North Dakota accounted for about one-third of those labs alone.

As of Oct. 31, 2007, the State Attorney General's Office data showed that there was one meth lab uncovered in Bowman, one in Dunn County, one in McLean County, one in Sheridan County, three in Burleigh County, two in Cass County and one in Walsh County.

However, the Williston Office of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation reported eight labs have been uncovered in Williams, Divide and McKenzie counties to date this year.

North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem credits a series of laws enacted by the North Dakota Legislature for quelling what law enforcement agents termed an epidemic level of home meth labs in 2005. Once the 2005 North Dakota Legislature enacted a law limiting the number of cold pills that could be purchased containing pseudoephedrine, meth lab raids saw a sudden drop. People had to sign their names and show identification to purchase these products. The ingredient is needed to make meth in local recipes. During the 2007 Legislative Session, the laws became even more defined.

"The law limits the amount a person can buy for a whole day and for a whole month," Stenehjem said.

He added that a 2003 pilot project which requires anhydrous ammonia tanks to be locked when not in use in McKenzie and Williams counties, has been expanded to portions of eastern North Dakota. Anhydrous ammonia is another ingredient used to make meth.

"(Tank locks) are now also required in Walsh, Pembina and Cavalier counties," "Three years ago, we seized a meth lab every day, now it's down to one a month," Stenehjem said. "That's still 10 too many, but it frees us up to go after the big dealers that come from out-of-state trafficking it. Most come from Mexico. We're tracking them down with a computer data base using information from federal, state and county law enforcement."

"Most of the meth here is imported," agreed Williams County Sheriff Scott Busching

He added that overall meth arrests for the state are down about 50 percent this year.

Many offenders of trafficking or manufacturing have been "there have been several arrests of people selling several pounds of meth," Stenehjem said. "It puts a dent in the problem."

He does find this year's figures encouraging.

"The number of arrests are down, and the number of labs are down." Stenehjem believes education programs also are having an impact on young people as studies here have shown the numbers of teens who have tried methamphetamine has dropped from 11 percent to 5 percent in the last five years.

"We will continue to attack the problem on all fronts," Stenehjem said.