Moonshine Culture May Have Given Way to a Preference for Small-Batch Meth

Meth is a widespread tragedy throughout Appalachia. This article explores how meth became such a devastating problem for Appalachia and how a solely punitive system only reinforces the cycle of poverty in the region.

http://www.vice.com/read/moonshine-culture-may-have-given-way-to-a-preference-for-small-batch-meth-721
Moonshine Culture May Have Given Way to a Preference for Small-Batch Meth
By Lovey Cooper Jul 21 2014

On the North Carolina/Tennessee border, a history of bootlegging in its many forms has become somewhat endearingly engrained in the pop cultural perception of the region. Since the age of prohibition-era feuds, illicit producers in the region have proven themselves outstandingly resilient against state and federal regulation. A romanticized sense of backwards wiliness like that of the mountaineers has earned a place in America’s heritage.

In the reality of modern Appalachia, poor folks who are decidedly isolated—physically and mentally—from the commercial draws of the big city stay buried deep in historical tradition. The mindset of the region often spurs innovative businessmen to become self-sufficient—using the land, resources and other people around for profit in the face of otherwise stagnant local economies.

Bootlegging, as such, begins with moonshine.

“You made it and sold it because you didn’t have a job but you had a little bit of corn and the knowledge,” said Deputy Patrick Anderson of the Watauga County Sheriff’s office located in the small mountain town of Boone, in western North Carolina. Anderson grew up in neighboring Wilkes County, the birthplace of NASCAR, with friends who bragged about daddies who drove ‘shine with Junior Johnson back in the day.... MORE at link provided above.