Costly Meth Cooking

A new survey by the Associated Press finds that a way of making methamphetamine is filling hospitals with uninsured patients and taking a toll on some burn units.

FOX News Radio’s Jennifer Keiper reports:

Instead of elaborate meth labs, some who make it have turned to what’s being called the “Shake and Bake” method: using a 2-liter soda bottle to mix unstable ingredients.

One St. Louis area man, who’s meth bottle exploded, ended up with his skin basically peeled off over large portions of his body.

(Injured man)”This pain you can’t stop. There’s nothing stopping it.”

People like him end up in the hospital at an estimated cost of $6,000 a day, and according to an Associated Press survey, many of them are uninsured.

The survey also finds that is one reason for the closure of at least seven burn units, across the country, over the past six years.

Also, mobile meth labs put everyone at risk because highly explosive bottles can end up anywhere, even where children play.

Jennifer Keiper, FOX News Radio