Oswego (WSYR-TV) - Oswego County officials say they need more money to keep methamphetamine out of their communities. And that’s the message county legislators are sending to the Federal government.
The county wants to be designated as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, which would bring in more money for its drug task force.
The impact of the drug on the community is evident in addicts’ dental work, which some call “meth mouth.”
“The cavities that occur with the use of methamphetamine usually develop on the front surfaces of the teeth,” said General Dentistry's, Dr. Robert Schaefer.
Schaefer never thought he would have to look for the condition known as meth mouth, but now he says he’s seeing more and more cases.
“The decay from methamphetamine is very, very obvious. It's very different from other types of oral conditions,” he said.
Dentists say one of the initial indicators of meth mouth is decay between the teeth and the gum line.
But General Dentistry is just one facility that must adapt to the growing meth problem in Oswego County.
“I think it’s three times what we see to begin with,” said Oswego County Legislature Chairman Fred Beardsley. “But I see it too much. I see it in the cities, in the country, small towns, big towns, it doesn’t matter. It’s in our schools, it’s on every street corner.”
Lawmakers are working with Senator Chuck Schumer to make Oswego County a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). The designation will bring in federal money for the county’s drug task force.
“Getting some Federal help to coordinate across county borders so that drugs that might start in Syracuse and end up in Oswego, or vice versa, can be treated makes a lot of sense,” Schumer said.
Beardsley said he hopes the resources will be in place soon so they move onto the problem.
“The faster and harder we hit this, the happier we'll be. So it's one of those things that takes money and manpower so we'll take all we can get,” Beardsley said.
The amount of money granted would be determined after a study of the county’s need for the resources.
