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I think California and Florida get thrown around a lot in the discussion of illegal drugs in the U.S., perhaps because they are entry points into the U.S. for the illegal drug trade. Where has drug usage and trade had the most visible impact?
Things for consideration (most of these are assumptions/ideas I hold and not based on concrete fact, please correct me where I am wrong):
California:
- Grows more Marijuana than any other U.S. state (at least I think so)
- Liberal attitude towards drugs which probably contributed to it being the center of the LSD movement (again, at least I believe so) and a hotbed of drug-related political activism (hence medical marijuana)
- Severely affected by the crack epidemic in the 80's
- Transit point for drugs into the U.S. via Mexico?
Florida:
- Traditionally viewed as the cocaine capital of America and is historically the largest transit point into the U.S. for drugs via South America
- Low regulation of prescription medication sales making it the oxycontin capital of America
- If I remember correctly, drug money financed a lot of development in South Florida, particularly Miami, during the 70's-80's and may continue to do so today
You're not saying that cocaine has affected LA more than Miami, are you? I would definitely disagree with you there. Agree on hallucinogens and (to a lesser extent) weed.
I think California and Florida get thrown around a lot in the discussion of illegal drugs in the U.S., perhaps because they are entry points into the U.S. for the illegal drug trade. Where has drug usage and trade had the most visible impact?
Things for consideration (most of these are assumptions/ideas I hold and not based on concrete fact, please correct me where I am wrong):
California:
- Grows more Marijuana than any other U.S. state (at least I think so)
- Liberal attitude towards drugs which probably contributed to it being the center of the LSD movement (again, at least I believe so) and a hotbed of drug-related political activism (hence medical marijuana) - Severely affected by the crack epidemic in the 80's
- Transit point for drugs into the U.S. via Mexico?
Florida:
- Traditionally viewed as the cocaine capital of America and is historically the largest transit point into the U.S. for drugs via South America - Low regulation of prescription medication sales making it the oxycontin capital of America
- If I remember correctly, drug money financed a lot of development in South Florida, particularly Miami, during the 70's-80's and may continue to do so today
What is your guess?
As per the parts in bold:
1. It's debatable whether or not CA grows more than any other state. Humboldt county has long been a major marijuana-producing area, but so is Kentucky, believe it or not. And now with the advent of hydroponic farming, it can be grown practically anywhere. It's kind of hard to keep count, so I doubt any one area can claim they grow the most.
2. I know you posted this 4 years ago, but just because a state has medical MJ, doesn't mean that it's more "tolerant" overall, of the use of MJ than other states. Since you posted this, two states have legalized MJ across the board, and neither of those states was CA.
3. Got news for ya... the entire country was equally heavily affected by the crack epidemic of the 80's and 90's, not just CA.
4. Texas is now, and always has been another major port of entry for the illegal drug trade. Not just the (very long) Mexican border, but along the coast of TX as well. Just as much as FL, and probably even more so than CA.
5. I wasn't aware that FL had the biggest Oxycontin problem in America? I always thought that was West Virginia.
So many young people in small town Florida are dying because of Oxycontin overdose. The terrible economy that the state has had for nearly 10 years now is just melting the minds of the young people. They see no hope so they resort to drug use with not even a care if it kills them.
Texas has a syrup issue and it shares far more border with mexico than other states. drugs is smuggled through the port of houston and coastlines of texas as well. the fact texas isn't included is laughable.
I don't know if it has already been addressed in this thread, but I think the biggest "drug epidemic" this country is facing today (and for the last decade or so) is meth. Meth doesn't have to come in from over the border either. Anybody can make it in their own home with store-bought household ingredients. Meth labs can be set up in almost any well-hidden area, both rural and urban, and as anybody who ever watched "Breaking Bad" knows, meth labs can even be mobile.
Meth has definitely taken cocaine's thunder away in the last 20 or so years. It's a longer-lasting, more intense high, it's cheap, easy to make, and the supply never dwindles. It used to mainly be a Western U.S. problem, but now it has gained popularity on the East coast and points in-between. Meth has just wrecked the PNW over the years. I see tweekers all the time up here, almost everywhere I go. It's almost just normal to see them in public. Young, old, rich, poor... all walks of life. It's really sad.
You're not saying that cocaine has affected LA more than Miami, are you? I would definitely disagree with you there. Agree on hallucinogens and (to a lesser extent) weed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobloblawslawblog
As per the parts in bold:
3. Got news for ya... the entire country was equally heavily affected by the crack epidemic of the 80's and 90's, not just CA.
While Miami was an entry point for cocaine and the effects of crack/cocaine eventually spread through the entire country, the crack cocaine epidemic started in Los Angeles. So yes, it affected LA more in that the many historical aspects of crack are tied to LA - CIA, Contras, Gary Webb, Freeway Ricky Ross, etc. In any case, the twin pillars of the crack cocaine industry were Miami and Los Angeles.
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