COLUMBUS, Ohio — The state of Ohio has thrown millions of dollars at the issue of opioids to create prevention programs. Now, the problem of opioids may be taking a back seat.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, methamphetamines are taking center stage.
According to Nathan Dennis with OSHP, "If you compare 2019 to 2021, we're over a 300 percent increase."
Dennis said meth appears to be a bigger problem than opioids now in the state.
According to statistics from OSHP, Ohio troopers have seen an increase of 148% in methamphetamines from 2020 to 2021. They believe much of the product is coming from Mexico and there are fewer people trying to cook the drug in their own homes.
This is because meth is now less expensive than medical marijuana, according to OSHP.
OSHP said they're recovering much of the product on the interstates.
In Fairfield County in 2021 alone, troopers found over 300 pounds of meth. In Scioto County, they pulled over a vehicle that contained over 100 thousand dollars worth of meth just last month.
Law enforcement said this is a problem that isn't going away anytime soon. They said they started to see the spike in 2017 and it has increased every year since.