Meth in Colorado goes bust

Methamphetamine is on its way out of Colorado after a decade of ravaging the state.

The number of meth-lab busts in the state dropped from a high of 450 in 2002 to just 46 in 2007, according to the National Clandestine Laboratory Database.

Last year, the North Metro Task Force busted two small, mobile meth labs, compared with about 100 a year from 2002 to 2005.

Home-cooked meth is virtually gone. Colorado meth treatment centers saw a 10 percent decline between 2007 and 2008.

Only a few years ago, the deluge of meth in Colorado seemed unstoppable. The highly addictive drug was being brewed in hundreds of homes. The threat of suburban explosions from toxic drug cookeries grew daily. MORE