The close relationship between the Sheriff's Department and the Coast Guard has also helped matters, since many of the growing sites can be reached only by boat. The Sheriff's Marine Patrol and Coast Guard personnel have worked to combine their efforts. But Adams said the driving force behind the project is the community, from calling in tips to supporting the process in general. The community says, 'Go do it,' and we go out and try to get rid of the problem. Adams said the work he is doing with the department to track down the marijuana at the source is greater than what it seems on the surface.
Most drug usage starts very innocently with marijuana.
It is the first step in the addiction process, especially with young people who are easily influenced. We're looking at the long run and trying to get it off the streets. It's all much larger than just what we're doing here. About the same time they moved in, funding was approved to widen three bridges on Leisure Town Road to improve safety on the road - improvements some residents say could pave the way for the reliever route and drive their property values into the ground. Still, with or without Jepson Parkway, the city has been planning for almost 30 years to widen Leisure Town Road from two lanes to four lanes.