Montana sees surge in meth use
in meth.”
The concern over meth and opiates, such as heroin, in Montana is shared nationwide. More Americans are dying from opioids than at any time in recent history, with overdose deaths hitting a peak of 28,000 in 2014. That amounts to 78 Americans dying from an opioid overdose every day, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But meth remains the drug of choice in Montana and other nearby states because it is inexpensive and so widely available.
Lockerby told legislators that law enforcement is but a component in the effort to eradicate the drug from Montana. But the challenges, he said, are daunting as the meth supply transforms a homegrown substance cooked in clandestine labs to a well-financed out-of-state import that crosses stateliness and national borders.
In 2015, the state’s crime lab analyzed about twice the number of samples as two years prior, according to state statistics.
Montana health officials say meth-related cases now account for more than 40 percent of the caseload being handled by the state’s child and family services — doubling from a decade ago.