“We are watching these young farmers, beginning farmers, stemming the tide. After watching the drain of our young people leaving agriculture, this is the first sign we’ve had in quite some time—hemp is bringing people back to farming.”
Once thought to be on a downward spiral, recent criminal reports indicate meth use is climbing again. In fact, Illinois registered the fifth-most meth lab seizures and arrests in the country last year, behind Missouri, Tennessee, Indiana and Kentucky.
Michael Pasley is a survivor of meth addiction. He started using meth in his early teens and would inject himself with "three really healthy shots in one day" at the height of his addiction. Now, Pasley is on the full road to recovery.
In December of 2012, Tena Logan and five other individuals were indicted for running a meth ring out of their Coles County, Ill., residence. Their meth operation included more than a dozen different people who purchased the pseudoephedrine used for cooking meth.
Farmers used to worry about meth producers stealing anhydrous ammonia -- a popular nitrogen-based fertilizer -- from their properties. But now, with new meth production techniques, anhydrous ammonia thefts are becoming less common.
