Tribes ask Interior secretary for help with meth addiction

POPLAR, Mont. – Leaders of a tribal executive board in Montana are asking U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke for help battling meth addiction in their community.

The Billings Gazette reports that Zinke met with the executive board of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes on Sunday.

Fort Peck Tribal Chairman Floyd Azure told Zinke that law enforcement for the county and the tribe cannot keep up with the issues meth addiction has caused. For example, he blamed meth addiction in families for most of the children entering foster care.

Some board members suggested that a drug treatment centre on the reservation would help.

Zinke says the Interior Department has focused on treatment of drug addiction for mothers and grandmothers, hoping it will have a broad impact on families and the community.