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Last updated on Thursday, August 17, 2017
(UNDATED) - The number of meth lab seizures throughout Indiana has taken a sharp dive.
The Indiana State Police reports a 58 percent drop in meth lab incidents so far this year, from 605 to 284.
But ISP Sgt. Mike Toles says there's still a high demand for the drug and there has been an increase in heroin use.
The number of children removed from meth lab environments is also down nearly 68 percent, from 108 cases in the same time period in 2016 to just 35 this year.
State Representative Ben Smaltz of Auburn sponsored a law that made it more difficult to buy large amounts of pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in making meth:
"Although these statistics are very encouraging, we cannot relax our efforts in combating other illegal drugs or helping addicted Hoosiers get the treatment they need to return as contributing members of society," he says.
More children were removed from meth labs during a single month in 2015 than the entire first half of 2017.
Police say meth labs are especially dangerous to children and unsuspecting neighbors because they leave behind toxic contamination and can easily catch fire or explode.
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