Does Jefferson County have a drug issue?

Heather Ainsley ECB Publishing, Inc. At the start of the summer, The Monticello News issued several public records requests to local law enforcement offices, asking for statistics for the number of drug-related arrests in Jefferson County and the City of Monticello. The numbers were provided by both Monticello Police Department (MPD) and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO), which also provided statistics on behalf of Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) in regards to drug arrests made within Jefferson County by FHP troopers. The statistics are shown in the attached graphic. The majority of the data reflected a significant number of drug-related arrests for our area over the last several