If you’ve had to show identification and sign a registry before purchasing a cold or allergy medicine, you might have wondered whether it was worth the hassle. The answer is yes.

It wasn’t long ago that dangerous methamphetamine labs were sprouting up across the West, but smart drug laws, education programs and a concerted crackdown from law enforcement and the courts have reversed the trend.

That’s not to say that meth use is no longer a problem, but the dangers associated with its manufacture have been brought under control.

No meth houses have been uncovered in Spokane in the first three months of this year. Seven years ago, there were 250 labs in the county, homes contaminated with dangerous chemicals. Children, who are more susceptible to the toxins and fumes, were often found inside. In 2002, Washington state was second to California in the number of children present at meth-lab busts.

Because meth was easy to produce, labs could pop up anywhere. The “precursor” could be found on store shelves in the form of cold and allergy tablets containing pseudoephedrine, ephedrine and phanylpropanoline. “Cooks” were known to clean out stores before a law was passed that required buyers to show ID and sign their names before the drugs – now kept behind a counter – could be purchased. Even then, quantities are limited.

But while homegrown meth is on the decline, the imported version from Mexico presents a new challenge. The encouraging news is that use has been dropping since 2005. One reason is that education efforts seem to have had an effect on young people. A University of Michigan study shows that meth use has declined by two-thirds among 18-year-olds since 1999. While many youths see anti-drug campaigns as “lame,” the meth-related ones have hit the mark. The images of “meth mouth” – teeth worn to nubs from drug use – are a huge turnoff.

A continued downward trend would be enormously beneficial to society. Meth has been associated with the explosion in identity theft and property crimes, and states spend about $5 billion a year to help children in affected families, according to a 2001 U.S. Health and Human Services report.

Drug treatment is also vital, and the number of addicts in programs quadrupled from 1993 to 2003 across the country.

It’s not often that a battle in the war on drugs produces such quick results, but the coordinated attack on meth use has done just that. Vigilance is the key to making this reversal permanent.