South Dakota boasts such attracts as the Crazy Horse Monument, Mount Rushmore, and many more. A large state, it also has one of the smallest populations in the United States. However, this does not mean that it has escaped the drug and alcohol abuse and addiction epidemic sweeping across the rest of the nation.
In particular, methamphetamine is a major drug problem among local residents. This is shown by the number of meth production rings and labs that have been uncovered by law enforcement officials.
There are many drug trafficking organizations in South Dakota that transport addictive substances like alcohol and drugs across the state. They are linked to the growing surge in the rates of drug related overdose that have been witnessed among local residents.
Many of these organizations distribute drugs across the major cities of the state, including Sioux Falls. While there, they take advantage of teens who are looking for an opportunity to try out drugs.
In 2014, the state lost 64 lives to a drug overdose. This was a steady increase from the 55 fatalities that were reported the previous year. Unfortunately, most of these deaths were as a result of an opioid or a heroin overdose.
Most of the supplies of drugs in the state include marijuana, cocaine, meth, and black tar heroin. They are typically imported from Canada and the American northwest through private vehicles and commercial trucks.
South Dakota has also seen the popularity of 25i - a synthetic hallucinogenic drug that produces effects that are similar to those of LSD - especially among young adults and teens. This drug is available in liquid and powder form, and it is one of the hardest to detect using typical drug analysis tests.
On the other hand, figures released by addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers show that the greatest number of admissions mentioned drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, alcohol, heroin, stimulants such as methamphetamine, and other opioids like prescription pain relief medications.
Law enforcement officials also seized more than 31 pounds of meth and dismantled a total of 28 methamphetamine laboratories in 2015 lone. That year, they also made more than 2,100 arrests for a meth related crime.
According to the Department of Social Services in South Dakota, meth seizures and arrests have been rising for several years now. In 2016, for instance, a total of 2,687 arrests for made among people who had this drug in their possession. From these arrests, law enforcement officials dismantled 9 meth labs and seized over 64 pounds of the drug.
WQAD, a local media station, also reported that the state lost at least 13 lives in 2018 as a result of meth abuse and addiction. South Dakota News Watch, on the other hand, published that 64 percent of all incarcerated women in the state were in jail or prison for committing a drug related crime.
Whether you are addicted to opioid drugs or to methamphetamine, South Dakota has a number of addiction treatment and rehabilitation facilities that can offer you the resources and programs you need to achieve sobriety.