# crime and meth in the Ozarks?



## farmerjoh

OK, not trying to hurt anyone here. Just looking for factual information from folks living in the Ozarks. 

We're considering a move to the area, but have read horror stories how meth has infiltrated every aspect of rural life. Much the same as the pot problem in N. Cali has turned the area into stoner central.

Is it as bad as it is sold/told. Would like to hear from residents if I am overly gullible or what have you.

appreciate it,

F Johson


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## francismilker

Don't live in the Ozarks but can personally testify that SE Oklahoma is infested with tons of folks with three teeth in their head, meth in their pockets, and a methlab in their outside shed. 

There's at least one in every family, (including my own). They can't resist the urge to get high, be a bum, and not work a job. (All while stealing from their friends and family in denial). 

And yes, I feel it's as bad as you've heard. It's just too easy not to get in to it when it's so cheap to make and so "easy" to get ingredients. As soon as law inforcement puts the smack down on them getting easy to find ingredients they come up with another recipe for making it.


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## Qhorseman

Its not as bad as it used to be, most of the stuff is humped out of here to the metro areas. It is kind of like the prohibition era and the revnuers. This area is economically depressed, any time you have a lack of employment, people are going to find a way to make money. My take on the subject.


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## Westwood

Ozarks, which part of the Ozarks? 

Nowadays as with any depressed rural area that was bankrupted in the last few years, people are struggling. But on our particular ridge, and in our general area, no. Meth is does not infringe on our reality and any general cynicism about OUR Ozarks we'll take issue with. Of course we live a mile north of Cozahome, AR (google it), we're on a 10 mile no other outlet road and we and our neighbors know who belongs here. Heck, I moved here 7 years ago and I'll never be a "local" but we respect each other and look out for each other. 

The Ozarks are beautiful, but I suggest you seriously research your possible destination as you would any area you're interested in. There are areas I would avoid and would suggest you do also. Areas around certain towns, counties. 

"The Ozarks" includes a huge area.


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## busybee870

yeah its everywhere here , in town, in the mountains, they have found easier recipes to make it easier to make. its called "shake and bake" made in 2 liter bottles, with very few ingredients, they mix it and leave it in the trunk while driving to mix it up good. You never know where it will be. I love the mountains , i dont plan on leaving here, just talk to people in the area , get the scoop


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## farmerjoh

Thanks Francis, _QH,Westwood, and BB, for your frank replies,

I know it's everywhere, heck it's in my family too unfortunately,

Westwood, happy to hear you all are keeping out of your area, and actually yes I was thinking a 1hr radius around Mountain Home area in particular. Sorry to generalize but didn't want to offend any one area. Another question Westwood, about being an "outsider". Any major problems with that? Sounds like you fit in well.

Again, I know this is a touchy subject, sorry.


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## oldasrocks

Meth is around like everyone says and you see people missing teeth a lot but from meth? who knows. Crime is up in the papers but that is true everywhere too. There are town and areas to avoid for various reasons. Before you buy anywhere check out the neighbors- stop and talk to people in the area. There are clickish area that don't like outsiders and high crime areas like in the big cities. 

Most are real hometown friendly though. Easy area to blend into as most of us are outsiders anyway and make friends easy.

We live in Lebanon


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## starjj

Mo doesn't have a hold on the meth problem. Here it is all over. I think anywhere you have rural depressed areas you are going to find meth.


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## yarrow

we moved to the Ozarks 7 years ago... are there a lot of meth heads here? sure (see them coming out of the local convenience store buying ex-large sodas all the time ...BUT... I still leave my doors unlocked & the keys in the cars/trucks (we live 6 or so miles from the nearest town)... maybe we've just been lucky? but we've personally had NO issues with any of the local users/cookers.. (have you watched the movie Winter's Bones yet?) there are lots of arrests for meth & you hear of the occasional meth lab burning to the ground.. none of this has affected us directly or tainted our love of the MO. Ozarks... I will admit to keeping a loaded shotgun by the door.

susie, mo ozarks


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## tarbe

Don't live there yet, but did just buy land 5 months ago, less than an hour north of Mountain Home. My wife and I intend to retire there on our 80 acres.

I have met all three of my neighbors (the only three dwellings within a mile of our land) and they all have jobs and a full complement of teeth! 

I am sure there is a meth-head somewhere near by...just have not spent enough time in the area to root him out.

My wife and I did go to the Ozark County Hootin' and Hollarin' festival in September. The good news.....we saw hundreds of folks and can honestly say virtually every one of them looked perfectly "normal". 

Good luck in your search!


Tim


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## Heritagefarm

Well, around here it's pretty nice. Not many methheads, a couple potheads but mostly just likable fishin' huntin' ********. The Cabool area is pretty nice, but moved from Licking, where the prison is located. Not too good there.


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## southerngurl

farmerjoh said:


> Thanks Francis, _QH,Westwood, and BB, for your frank replies,
> 
> I know it's everywhere, heck it's in my family too unfortunately,
> 
> Westwood, happy to hear you all are keeping out of your area, and actually yes I was thinking a 1hr radius around Mountain Home area in particular. Sorry to generalize but didn't want to offend any one area. Another question Westwood, about being an "outsider". Any major problems with that?


People in this area are, in general, very hospitable. People get ticked if you try to come in and gripe about something that's been a certain way a long time though, whatever it may be.

Funny, someone was talking about the "yankees" moving in here. Said the first year they say "Someone needs to do something about all these hunters, they're shooting all the deer!". The next year they say "Someone needs to do something about all these deer, they're eating all our flowers". :baby04:

A beautiful, peaceful area for the most part. The further you get back in the woods, the better it is. Fall here is untouchable by most other places. We get a decent winter often, but usually not much- occasional icestorms, those are bad. Spring is often wet as can be, summer is hot, often humid, middle of summer is often real dry.


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## Elevenpoint

I don't see it here but then again I'm not looking for it either, there wil be that going on in all rural areas. I don't think it is that hard for law enforcement to figure out who's doing what. I have had periods of time away from my farm and nothing has ever been touched here, and I have good neighbors....I love living in this area and could not imagine living somewhere else....and the people here are genuine down-to-earth country folks, with some non-natives like me thrown in.....


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## farmerjoh

Thanks again everyone for your comments,

The good news is I am yet undeterred and hope to someday find a small slice of land for my family. Lot's of good advice: mostly talk to the neighbors, and hide my accent  . Seriously, thanks all for helping


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## Bountiful Ranch

francismilker said:


> Don't live in the Ozarks but can personally testify that SE Oklahoma is infested with tons of folks with three teeth in their head, meth in their pockets, and a methlab in their outside shed.
> 
> There's at least one in every family, (including my own). They can't resist the urge to get high, be a bum, and not work a job. (All while stealing from their friends and family in denial).
> 
> And yes, I feel it's as bad as you've heard. It's just too easy not to get in to it when it's so cheap to make and so "easy" to get ingredients. As soon as law inforcement puts the smack down on them getting easy to find ingredients they come up with another recipe for making it.


I live in Southeast OK and your right. Thank goodness no one in my family yet but I sent my girls to Stillwater OSU to get an education and meet someone not in Southeast OK. There doesn't seem to be much of a druggie problem in that town even with all those college students.


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## francismilker

Bountiful Ranch said:


> I live in Southeast OK and your right. Thank goodness no one in my family yet but I sent my girls to Stillwater OSU to get an education and meet someone not in Southeast OK. There doesn't seem to be much of a druggie problem in that town even with all those college students.


I'm with you there. I too have a daughter that I HOPE with her raising will find a nice Christian man to marry while off at OSU!


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## ceresone

For the 10 th year in a row, Missouri is the no.1 meth state in the union.
Thats really something to be ashamed of!
But most of us arent making meth--We're just ordinary people


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## Guest

As rural as we are here, it's a big problem. 

A couple years ago a meth lab exploded a quarter mile from where I'm sitting. A father and his adult son were caught in the explosion. IIRC, one died and one is in prison.


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## Txrider

It's a problem in central Tx. as well, as I assume it is in many many rural places though it seems to be better than it once was.


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## TraderBob

I live in North Central AR, and while meth is a concern everywhere, and we have our share, it hasn't personally affected us. I may have seen 1 or 2 meth heads in the gas stations, but I really only see/hear about it in the police reports in the paper.

The local PD and Sheriffs Dept have made it a #1 priority here, and as such, it's not "in the open". Most wouldn't choose this area, as they ARE going to be busted, sooner or later, usually sooner.

I wouldn't live anywhere else.


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## Guest

Yowza!

A 76 (seventy-six) year old farmer 4 miles from me has been busted for procuring anhydrous ammonia for the local meth labs.


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## kan-green

I have been a paramedic here twenty years and it is not as bad as it used to be. With the laws restricting purchasing of the precursors most of the meth is made elsewhere and shipped in. Unless someone is looking to score some you will not have any problems in most areas.


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## big rockpile

oldasrocks said:


> Meth is around like everyone says and you see people missing teeth a lot but from meth? who knows. Crime is up in the papers but that is true everywhere too. There are town and areas to avoid for various reasons. Before you buy anywhere check out the neighbors- stop and talk to people in the area. There are clickish area that don't like outsiders and high crime areas like in the big cities.
> 
> Most are real hometown friendly though. Easy area to blend into as most of us are outsiders anyway and make friends easy.
> 
> We live in Lebanon


oldasrocks they have been hard on the dope along the river last few years and haven't even started to slow it down.Yea I lost my teeth to SKOAL but see plenty that have lost them to Meth my DS is one there is a difference.

See plenty of Speed and Weed still but this has always been.

big rockpile


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## terri46355

I think most of the crime here is between people who know each other. There are lots of domestic problems. As far as meth producers and users, I think they stay pretty close to each other, too. Kinda like the inner city, most of the crime is interaction between the criminals.


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## glenn amolenaar

The counties that make up So.West Missouri are in the top listing for meth production in the USA. I cant find the article but in the last several weeks it was either Barry or Lawrence county sheriff stating this fact. Yes it is very common here.
Glenn


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## Callieslamb

ceresone said:


> For the 10 th year in a row, Missouri is the no.1 meth state in the union.
> Thats really something to be ashamed of!
> But most of us arent making meth--We're just ordinary people


Maybe MO law enforcement is just really good and hunting down the meth labs? TN and AR have to have their share of meth problems.

I was born and raised near Ava, MO. My family is all there or near there. THEY don't seem to have meth problems near them....

You're going to have to take each exact location individually. Look at places you are thinking of buying. What's the neighborhood like? Run down? Very, very poor neighbors that don't have jobs? Are their jobs? What are the teens doing? College-aged kids? Old abandoned houses? Answering those questions for yourself will help you decide if a place would be good for your family.


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## n9viw

Excellent posts, both questions and answers. Thanks to all!
Pony and I have been kicking around the thought of moving from NW MO to somewhere in the 'zarks, primarily to be more closely located to people of like mind (there seem to be a lot of people on here who live in the 'zarks), secondarily to be a little more remote. We're right on a busy (for here) highway, we have no woodlot or outbuildings, and would like just a little more land (preferably with some hill/valley/bluff action for the wild Northerner in me).
I know everywhere you go there's bound to be one sort of problem or another; that's life after the fall, and all of us human beings living our imperfect lives down here. It's what we DO with it that makes the difference. We'd like to find a place where people still strive, if that makes any sense, and where there's enough elbow-room to hang out a shingle without getting snubbed, and local heritage that's open to sharing their history with new blood. Does any of that exist in the Mozarks?


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## terri46355

One thing I've learned is that it takes a while to find out what is going on in the area socially. The local festivals are only part of the cultural climate of the area. 

Almost everyone you meet is friendly and believes it is a sin to be un-neighborly. When we first came here, we were told stories of how people from CA came here, paid too much for their property, couldn't get along with anyone, told the locals how to live, and went back. You will be judged by your interaction with people.


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## n9viw

Oh, and I wouldn't have it any other way! We, too, have heard the stories of 'outsiders' buying fallow farms on the cheap, and attempting to insinuate their own way on a system that has done just fine for several generations without their help, thank you very much. As you say, these types typically don't last very long, much to both parties' relief.

I'm thinking that, after our doe kids in the spring, if we can get someone to sit the farm for us over a weekend, we may take a weekend drive down to the Mozarks and visit different areas, getting a feel for the locals and locale, perhaps collect a few of those real estate rags to peruse.


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## 8601randee

farmerjoh said:


> OK, not trying to hurt anyone here. Just looking for factual information from folks living in the Ozarks.
> 
> We're considering a move to the area, but have read horror stories how meth has infiltrated every aspect of rural life. Much the same as the pot problem in N. Cali has turned the area into stoner central.
> 
> Is it as bad as it is sold/told. Would like to hear from residents if I am overly gullible or what have you.
> 
> appreciate it,
> 
> F Johson


F Johson,

I have a farm for sale there and when I lived there I had NO trouble with meth. Now that I have moved, I see it is everywhere! It is nationwide no doubt. They seem to mind their own business though. 
Anyway, my place is a very large and private acreage with lots and lots of live water and all the buildings needed. The taxes are real low. It is located in south central MO. 

Thanks. 8601Randee


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