Fayette County is a great place to live. But that does not mean it is free of the specter of drugs. Peachtree City and Fayetteville police brought 935 charges for marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and other narcotics between 2001-2005. Undeniable that drugs exist in Fayette, the most troubling of this “high-inducing” cornucopia is methamphetamine.

Fayetteville Police filed 270 drug charges between 2001-2005. In some cases an individual found with more than one type of narcotic faced multiple charges, said interim Police Chief Jeff Harris.

Cases relating to marijuana topped the list in Fayetteville. Charges filed for less than an ounce of marijuana included 45 in 2001, 24 in 2002, 39 in 2003, 41 in 2004 and 39 in 2005. Charges for possession of more than one ounce totaled nine in 2001, four in 2002, one in 2004 and four in 2005.

Cocaine charges during the period in Fayetteville included three in 2001, one in 2002, five in 2003, six in 2004 and four in 2005. Charges for methamphetamine included three in 2001, five in 2002, five in 2003, 14 in 2004 and eight in 2005. Charges relating to other types of narcotics included two in 2001 and one each in 2003, 2004 and 2005, Harris said.

Peachtree City police made 665 drug-related arrests during the 2001-2005 period, Chief James Murray said last week. Of that total, 587 were for marijuana. One hundred twenty arrests for marijuana were made in 2001 compared to 122 in 2002, 115 in 2003, 143 in 2004 and 87 in 2005.

Arrests in Peachtree City for cocaine possession included 11 in 2001, four in 2002, six in 2003, 11 in 2004 and six in 2005. Arrests for other drugs during the period, including synthetics, hallucinogens and heroin included two in 2001, four in 2003 and one in 2004.

But it was the arrests for methamphetamine that showed the most dramatic increase. There were no arrests for meth in 2001 or 2002, one arrest in 2003, two arrests in 2004 and 30 in 2005 in Peachtree City.

Harris and Murray said that, unlike local or regional task forces that produce cumulative drug seizure totals for reporting to federal agencies, many local police departments do not tabulate those seizures as a part of their reporting protocol. Seizure amounts in grams, ounces, kilograms or pounds can vary once verified the state crime lab validated the quantity and purity.

Local efforts, they said, are aimed more at the end user or street level dealer that either lives in or frequents the area.

“Many local departments operate under the ‘broken window’ theory,” said Murray. “We go after the local day-to-day dealers and users in our communities.”

Both Harris and Murray agreed that the most prolific drug on the streets of Fayetteville and Peachtree City today is methamphetamine.

The drug is prolific in the number of increasing instances of use and mournful in the aftermath of the many problems associated with obtaining a “high” that comes from the combination of poisonous household products readily available at nearly any grocery or hardware store.

Inexpensive and quick to manufacture, meth can be made almost anywhere, in a bedroom or a vehicle or in a secluded area in the woods.

“Meth is getting easier to come by and has become a more popular drug. It is relatively cheap compared to some drugs and it’s become the drug of choice because of that,” Harris said.

Murray agreed, citing the ease with which meth can be obtained and some of the underlying aspects of the use of meth and other drugs.

“Meth is just as available in most areas as marijuana. Anybody looking to buy it can find it. Much of it is coming into the Atlanta area from Mexico but a lot of it is locally produced,” he said.

Harris reflected on the nature of drug use and the sometimes complex individual and social issues that create both the pattern and the propagation of that use.

“I know we’ve got a drug problem. Everybody does. And I know the problem here is minor compared to a lot of places, but I know it’s here,” Harris said, broadening the scope of the problem. “It’s hard to say why people do certain things. But we find that once they start using something they sometimes bring their friends into it.”

Murray held to the view that the issues surrounding drug use, like other modes of behavior, can include physical ramifications that play havoc on the individual.

“We don’t realize that our habits can kill us, whether its drugs or drinking or other lifestyle characteristics that we adopt,” he said. “We shouldn’t be addicted to anything. And with drugs, people don’t realize the damage they do to us internally, physically.”

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