The passage of the pseudoephedrine bill in 2006 reduced the number of methamphetamine labs in Marshall County dramatically.

But the numbers are increasing again as methamphetamine cooks learn new ways of obtaining the base ingredient for manufacturing meth.The problem has not just gone away.

The newest method of manufacture is called “shake and bake” a one-pot method. A two liter soda bottle is used to contain the reaction. No external heat source is required because the lithium used ignites spontaneously when in contact with water.

As long as there is no oxygen in the system, the combustion is controlled. But when gasses build up, the soda bottle has to be “burped” to release the pressure. If enough oxygen enters the bottle during “burping,” the system explodes.