It seems to me that many of the opinions in these types of "where to move" threads reflect more bigotry and ignorance than cogent thought. Do you like to be around a lot of people in a city environment or do you like the country? How important is temperature to you? Yes, the deserts can be brutal in the summertime. However, the rest of the year is downright hospitable and you don't have humankind breathing down your neck.

Tweakers and meth labs exist pretty much across the board regardless of whether you live on the coast or inland. Frankly, I don't have any bigger problem with them than I do with skid row alcoholics. They're all a pain in the keister. The folks who seem to harp most on tweakers are the drug bigots who assume that their drug of choice is so much better than anyone else's. (And no, I'm not a cheerleader for speed; or alcohol for that matter). To say that the desert communities have a higher rate per capita of tweakers and labs than anywhere else is simply ignorant, uninformed, and bigoted.

Keep in mind your priority is going to be work; assuming you're not independently wealthy or happy living out of a tent and eating pork and beans three meals a day. The job market sucks all over right now but the cost of living is usually much lower in the desert communities where at least you might be able to get a foot hold if you have some kind of financial income already in place (SSI, pension, etc).

Remember, the WHOLE STATE is a medical cannabis state. Yeah, we have problems county to county particularly as it relates to dispensary and co-op issues. SO GROW YOUR OWN. Soon there will be so many home grow operations, well, to qoute Peter Gabriel...

You can blow out a candle
But you can't blow out a fire
Once the flames begin to catch
The wind will blow it higher

Lead