PORTLAND, Maine - Already this year, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency has responded to more meth labs, and meth dump sites, than it did in all of 2015. This year, that's 86 responses, compared with 56 for all of last year.
MDEA Director Roy McKinney says those numbers are very high for the area. "For Maine, the activity in meth production is greater than the other five New England states combined."
But he says the meth problem still pales in comparison with the state's opioid crisis. McKinney says there have been about 100 meth investigations this year, compared with probably 250 or 300 related to opioids.
Since people often cook meth in bottles and other commonly-found containers, and then dump it in places like the side of the road, McKinney says people should be careful not to pick up any bottle with white residue or other material in it; or one that's clearly enlarged from its usual size.
