Sheriff: Meth, Heroin Use on the Rise in Flathead County

Of the nearly 100 inmates in the Flathead County Detention Center last week, a quarter of them were incarcerated on drug-related charges and Sheriff Chuck Curry said methamphetamine is one of the primary culprits.

Curry said that meth and heroin use is on the rise among adults in Flathead County and most of it is coming from Mexico and South America. The increase of meth use locally comes exactly a decade after a major campaign was launched in the state to reduce the number of teens using the drug.

“Meth is by far the biggest problem, followed closely by heroin,” Curry said. “Methamphetamine use is as big of an issue in Flathead County now as it was 10 years ago. Our deputies are dealing with meth and meth-related issues every single day and even every shift.”

In the last month, Curry said that officers with the Northwest Montana Drug Task Force, working in undercover sting operations, have seized or purchased more than 400 grams of meth and 150 grams of heroin. Curry also said his officers have seized more than 900 grams of cocaine but noted the seizure came from one or two cases and that it was an anomaly, and not representative of the average month.

Curry said the increase in drug use has also resulted in thefts across the valley. Automobiles and storage units are frequent targets.

“We’re not seeing people break into cars and storage units so they can feed their children, they’re doing it to buy drugs,” he said.

A decade ago, much of the meth being used in Montana was made locally but new legislation has made it harder for would-be drug users to get the supplies to make it. However, the crackdown on supplies and ingredients like pseudoephedrine has not reduced the number of users and now more meth is coming north from Mexico and South America.

“The disadvantage to that strategy was that it created a big market for Mexican drug cartels,” said Amy Rue, executive director of the Montana Meth Project.

The Montana Meth Project is an education and prevention program first launched in 2005. Federal officials have cited the project as one of the most effective prevention programs in the nation and Rue said since it launched teen meth use has dropped by 63 percent in the state.

Rue attributed the increase of adult meth use to the fact that people tend to experiment with drugs more in their 20s and 30s.

“The mission is still the same, we’re driven and motivated to reduce first time meth use among Montana teens,” Rue said. “And data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention continues to reinforce that the message of ‘not even once’ is working.”

Nov. 30 is National Meth Awareness Day and Rue said her organization would give presentations at schools across the state to inform students of the dangers of the drug. For more information about the Montana Meth Project, visit www.montanameth.org.