Methamphetamine addiction is rampant in the rural areas of north central Florida. Dangerous meth labs are plentiful in Putnam, Clay, Columbia and Levy counties. Law enforcement sees firsthand the effects of methamphetamine use. The drug ages its users rapidly and health and appearance decline. Extreme weight loss, rotting teeth and raw, pockmarked skin are the hallmarks of methamphetamine abuse.
"They call it the poor man’s cocaine. It’s cheaper to get than cocaine and it is much more addictive than cocaine. It destroys your life and takes control of you," said Columbia County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ed Seifert. "The meth consumes them so much they can’t work, they don’t sleep for days, they can’t function as a normal person in society. They cook, they smoke, they cook, they smoke. They don’t have jobs, they don’t take care of their children, they don’t have incomes. Smoking meth is the only thing they do."
At the Metamorphosis drug treatment center in Gainesville, most of the methamphetamine users getting treatment come from rural communities. It is not understood why meth is not a problem in Gainesville.
"We know it’s out there in the outlying areas. The labs have been moving across the Panhandle from the west. But we just don’t see it," said Jim Santangelo of Alachua County Court Services. Santangelo runs the drug court program and has yet to see any methamphetamine addicts enrolled in the program.
"It just doesn’t come up as a topic," Santangelo said. "We’ve never had a methamphetamine referral. Gainesville, as far as I know, has always danced around the whole meth thing. We’re waiting for that shoe to drop."
