Local methamphetamine abuse is a growing problem

— By BRADLY GILL

Staff writer

Methamphetamine use in Ouachita County and the city of Camden is a growing problem. In 2018, the Camden Police Department made 64 felony drug arrests, and 40 of those arrests were for methamphetamine. For comparison purposes, there were three cocaine arrests - eight for illicit pills - and seven marijuana arrests.

The highest number of arrests for meth were in February with nine felony arrests.

In 2018, the Ouachita County Sheriff’s Department had 28 felony drug arrests. But OCSD Detective Nathan Greeley said that they often turn those cases over to the Drug Task Force.

However, in 2019, the sheriff’s department has already had 11 felony drug cases.

Camden Police Department Chief Boyd Woody said: “By far, this is just inside the city. Methamphetamine’s are our biggest issue, or what we make the most arrest on. I’m not telling you that marijuana’s not a big deal, (but) we don’t see it as much of a priority as we do the harder drugs like meth.

“My chief investigator John Voss, he’s a captain up here. He will tell you 100 percent drugs and thefts go hand-in-hand. I believe that for the most part, I know that, like, cocaine or meth is a gateway. It opens up a whole new world because once you get on it, it’s hard to break that habit. And to supply a habit that is expensive as meth is, you have to find other means to support that habit.”

There were 28 commercial burglaries reported in 2018, a 25-percent increase from 21 in 2017.And 78 residential burglaries were reported, again up from 61 in 2017.

“Drug dealers will often trade narcotics for merchandise, which leads them into the thefts,” Woody stated. “I hate to say that Camden does have a lot of narcotics in it, we do. But that’s not any different than any other community. I talk to a lot of chiefs, and narcotics are everywhere. I think Camden has it’s far share of it, and it’s something that I see it added on all the time. You have people that are stressed about the economy.

“It’s an ongoing problem. I’s nothing new and it’s nothing that should be overlook. We pay attention to it and try our best in law enforcement, but there’s a lot of other agencies that have to get involved to collaborate to make this work so we can help people. I do know that just because somebody is on some type of narcotic, doesn’t make them a bad person. They get on it for various reasons. Going to jail is not the answer that they need. I think they need medical, psychological attention more so than just locking them up. “

In a 2018 report from the Camden Police Department, Woody said:

“Starting from the 1970s, studies in the U.S. pointed more and more at the link between unemployment, poverty and crime. After that. other connections with income level, time spent at school, quality of neighborhood and education were revealed. as well. But most importantly, what reveals the unmistakable connection between poverty and crime is that they’re both geographically concentrated - in a strikingly consistent way. In other words, where you find poverty is also where you find crime.”

On The National Institute on Drug Abuse website, Director Nora D. Volkow writes, “The abuse of methamphetamine—a potent and highly addictive stimulant—remains an extremely serious problem in the United States. According to data from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), over 12 million people (4.7 percent of the population) have tried methamphetamine at least once. NSDUH also reports that approximately 1.2 million people used methamphetamine in the year leading up to the survey.

“The consequences of methamphetamine abuse are terrible for the individual––psychologically, medically, and socially. Abusing the drug can cause memory loss, aggression, psychotic behavior, damage to the cardiovascular system, malnutrition, and severe dental problems. Methamphetamine abuse has also been shown to contribute to increased transmission of infectious diseases, such as hepatitis and HIV/AIDS.”

A 2017 Narcotics Anonymous article states: “Arkansas is a very rural state with widely scattered population centers. Fort Smith to the west, Fayetteville and Rogers in the northwest, and of course, Little Rock in the center have the greatest density of residents. The rest of the state is mostly farmland or forest. But these remote areas permit the infiltration of four Mexican drug cartels who bring addictive, deadly substances into the state.”

“The Sinaloa cartel, Los Caballeros Templarios, Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación and Los Zetas all operate in Arkansas. The Interstate system not only expedites travel and shipping, it also enables cartels to move their shipments throughout the state and to other states.”

According to the The National Institute on Drug Abuse long-term methamphetamine use has many negative consequences, including:

• Extreme weight loss

• Severe dental problems - aka ‘meth mouth.’

• Intense itching, leading to skin sores from scratching.

• Anxiety.

• Confusion.

• Sleeping problems.

• Violent behavior.

• Paranoia—extreme and unreasonable distrust of others.

• Hallucinations—sensations and images that seem real though they aren’t.

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