Montana Meth Effect

04/06/2017

People all over Montana are exploring what the M**h Effect means for their state. Find out more at: http://m**heffect.com

31/05/2017

Children forced into the foster care system partly due to m**h use in the home has surged more than 400 percent. Family drug court is one option to change this.

A team of court officials, addiction counselors and medical experts are working to keep m**h from destroying more families each day in Judge John Larson’s drug court. But where one woman in court found a second chance, her daughter failed, and sunk even further into her addiction.

30/05/2017

The recidivism rate dropped from 25 percent to 10 percent In two and a half years at the Gallatin County Detention after the jail created a drug treatment program for inmates.

Story by Rick Rowan.

Lake County’s sheriff wants a new jail, but he also wants a treatment program like the one underway in Bozeman. These treatment programs help fill the gap many poor or rural drug users face when seeking help with their m**h addictions.

29/05/2017

“Leaving your paraphernalia out in the open for someone to walk in - that's alright. Having and seeing needles everywhere - that's ok. Even talking about selling your needles - that's normal too.”

Fort Belknap reservation never saw a decrease or an increase in m**h use, it has always just been normal. Now, a peer treatment program is trying to change that.

Story by Nora Saks

Two women fed up with the widespread use of m**h on the Fort Belknap reservation have launched a series of homegrown treatment programs. These programs rely on the idea of peer mentoring where recovered addicts help inspire and guide those seeking to kick the drug.

28/05/2017

The Montana state crime lab experienced a 143% increase in substance samples testing positive for m**hamphetamine between 2013 and 2016. But with regulations limiting access to treatment facilities, its hard to combat this uptick.

Story by Maria Anderson.

As Attorney General Tim Fox kicked off a new effort to craft a substance abuse strategy for the state, the governor was signing a law to expand the number of state-approved treatment centers. Both moves, counselors hope, will improve access to m**h addiction treatment in a state flooded with the dru...

28/05/2017

This week the Missoulian started running some of our reports on the m**h problem in Montana. The first report ran this morning.

HELENA — Montana’s attorney general stood on the steps outside of the Capitol in Helena and announced this state has a problem with drugs.

27/05/2017

"When I smoked m**h off tin foil, it just, it’s what had been missing my whole entire life. And then l wanted to do it every day. I literally lost everything in about six months."

Read Augusta Renee McDonnell's story on Missoula's drug court and the effects it has on addicts.

One mother’s battle with m**hamphetamine addiction brought her back from the brink of losing her son forever. Her story is a test of Family Drug Treatment Court in Montana that is trying to keep parents out of jail and kids out of foster care.

26/05/2017

With a heavy toll on the state’s infrastructure of jails, hospitals and social services, lawmakers and citizens look for solutions to an increase in m**h use.

The onslaught of m**h users has taken a large toll on Montana, leaving the state’s infrastructure of jails, hospitals and social services unable to deal with the growing number of m**h-related cases. As state and local resources are stretched to the max, lawmakers and citizens look for solutions.

25/05/2017

“They literally put it anywhere in their car that they can. We’ve seen false bottoms in trucks, we’ve seen it stored in fenders, seen it just sitting in the middle consoles.”

M**h distributors have become more creative in smuggling m**h into the US, forcing law enforcement to think outside the box.

Story by Meghan Bourassa.

Transporting m**h into Montana can make a dealer enormous profits. For the undercover drug enforcement officers trying to stop the flow, that reality makes their work a never-ending battle.

24/05/2017

Most of Montana's m**h is made in Mexico and is brought into the state on major highways like I-15 and I-90. Follow m**h's journey wth this interactive map.

The Drug Enforcement Agency uses sophisticated chemical testing to trace the source of m**h in Montana and has found much of it comes from production labs in Mexico. Roughly 2,064 miles away from Montana. Here is the journey that m**hamphetamine takes to get to Montana.

23/05/2017

Drug charges are the leading category for Montana felony and misdemeanor arrests. M**h accounts for 53 percent of these charges. Story by Anna Reid.

Following a 2013 shooting between father and son, Walter White was arrested for m**h distribution in Billings. White, who shares his name with the fictional m**h dealer from the television program “Breaking Bad,” had been caught after the fight over a $10,000 drug-related debt, and was later sentenc...

22/05/2017

There is a bare room in the ER wing of Missoula's hospital. There are scratch marks on the plexiglass windows and a hole in the wall. The security camera has been ripped off the ceiling. This room is reserved for m**h users who come to the hospital for help. The number of which is increasing.
Story by Matt Blois.

City and small-town hospitals report many of their patients are showing up after taking too much m**h. These patients are often violent and paranoid and the hospitals are struggling with the cost in both dollars and time of helping these people in need.

22/05/2017

If you missed our hour-long premier, Montana Public Radio has you covered.

This program contains mature themes, and may not be appropriate for all audiences. The flood of m**hamphetamines into Montana communities has left law

19/05/2017

The Slacks and their three young children lived in a m**h contaminated house for two years before the state informed them it was toxic.

Read Kasey Bubnash's story on the lack of laws surrounding m**h cleanup requirements.

While professionals agree that Montana's m**h decontamination laws are some of the most lenient in the nation, improvement is not in sight. Experts say these haphazard policies have affected families dealing with m**h-contaminated homes.

18/05/2017

From tea to crystal: trace the evolution of m**hamphetamine with the M**h Effect's interactive timeline.

For centuries the core ingredients now found in chemically pure forms in m**h were found in plants used to treat illnesses and increase alertness. Trace the evolution of this drug from ephedra to m**hamphetamine.

17/05/2017

Gay men are four times more likely to try m**h than straight men. Read Matt Blois's story here.

Gay men are four times more likely to try m**h than straight men. It’s a reality born from a drug that heightens the libido, but also helps many gay men care less about how society treats and judges them.

16/05/2017

A daughter, a father, a partier and a man on a su***de mission.

Bowen West writes about four Montanans who came out on the other side of m**h use.

A daughter, a father, a partier and a man on a su***de mission. Four Montanans who came out on the other side of m**h use.

15/05/2017

The number of children in foster care because their parents are on m**h went from 230 to 1,000 kids in five years.

Read Taylor Crews story on Montana's overwhelmed foster care system.

M**h use in Montana causes hundreds of children to be removed from their homes every year, placing them in a system that is crowded and in desperate need of a solution. It’s a number that is soaring with each passing year as the system struggles to help the kids of addicted parents.

14/05/2017

The use of m**h is felt by Montana's foster care systems, courts and hospitals.

The consequences of m**h use can be seen throughout the state of Montana, but the impact reaches much farther than the addicts themselves. M**h extends from overcrowded foster care and court systems that are struggling to find permanent solutions, to hospitals that see patients suffering from m**h o...

13/05/2017

"People need to know what they are getting into. They will lose everything."

Read about the addicts.

http://m**heffect.com/Addicts.html

As m**h use in Montana continues to rise, it's easy to forget the statistics represent real people and their families who are all struggling with addiction. The people who have used m**hamphetamine quickly become numbers, but these are some of the stories of the people affected by m**h.

12/05/2017

“The best chance of saving her was to let her experience it all. I let it get ugly for her.” For parents of adult m**h addicts, drawing the line between tough love and enabling is hard to navigate.

Read the story by Callahan Peel.
http://m**heffect.com/Support-Addicts.html

As difficult as fighting a child’s m**h addiction is, once a kid turns 18 parents lose what few tools they have. In Montana, where only one in-person group meets to discuss these issues, parents are forced to seek solace in online communities. Many are left grasping at straws and running themselves…

12/05/2017

Their 27-year-old daughter is addicted to m**h and they can't do anything about it.

Read and listen to reporter Aunica McCullough's story about m**h and the effects it has on one Bitterroot family.
http://m**heffect.com/M**hFamily-Addicts.html

From terrifying late-night calls to frustrated attempts at enrolling their child in rehab, parents of one m**h user offer a glimpse into the lives of those who struggle to save their children from m**hamphetamine.

11/05/2017

The M**h Effect website is live, complete with stories on addicts, the repercussions of use and potential solutions to Montana's m**h problem.

The M**h Effect staff includes: Anna Reid, Augusta Renee McDonnell, Bowen West, Callahan Peel, Cal Reynolds, Claire Chandler, Corey Hockett, Aunica McCullough, Beau Baker, Ian Baldessari, Josh Geiger, Kayla Robertson, Kasey Bubnash, Kelsey Johnson, Matt Blois, Meghan Bourassa, Nora Saks, Rick Rowan, Tailyr Irvine, Taylor Crews. With faculty editors Jule Gardner Banville and Lee Banville. With support from the University of Montana School of Journalism.

The flood of m**hamphetamines into Montana communities has left law enforcement, the courts and social services strained. Prosecutors report drug cases have clogged district courts. Child protection case numbers have soared as parents addicted to the drug neglect or abuse their children. Families of...

08/05/2017

"Getting high in your car in front of the store; that ain't a big deal."

Listen to the M**h Effect's Nora Saks' audio story about m**h treatment on the Fort Belknap Reservation. Montana Public Radio featured the story on its website.

There’s a narrative about the m**hamphetamine epidemic in Montana that says the state tackled it in the 2000s, and now it’s back with a vengeance because

04/05/2017

Alexis MacDiarmid is a Licensed Addictions Counselor at the Helena Indian Alliance. There are very few places addicts can go to detox from m**h, because users tend to be aggressive, paranoid, and sick while they’re on the drug, MacDiarmid said.

04/05/2017

03/05/2017

"The [kids] that come to us from families that are involved with m**h obviously have a lot of trauma. They have folks coming in and out of their homes and they don’t feel safe."

Reporter Taylor Crews interviewed Lance Isaak from Flathead Youth Homes about the effect parental m**h use has on their kids.

Look for Crews' piece on our website once it launches. **heffect

01/05/2017

Last year, 53% of drug investigations conducted by the Montana Division of Criminal Investigations were m**h-related.

Continue to watch this feed for information on the M**h Effect website launch.

Photo by Tailyr Irvine.

27/04/2017

There are 11 drug task forces in Montana. All report m**hamphetamine as the primary drug they encounter.

Below, Montana legislators and officials from all over the state attended a m**h summit in Helena in February to discuss solutions.

25/04/2017

Charity Stubb is the Executive Director of Missoula CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), a group serving 200 kids in foster care. Nintey percent of the kids in the CASA system are there in part due to the effects of m**h. Photo: Corey Hockett

25/04/2017

Rob is a former m**h addict who got hooked at 19. He was introduced to the drug by his grandfather. Meghan Bourassa reports. Listen to more of Rob's story at m**heffect.com.

20/04/2017

Missoula District Court Judge John Larson established the first juvenile drug treatment court in 1996.

Listen to the full version at m**heffect.com. Beau Baker reports.

20/04/2017

Jessica Hofer is a previous addict and current counselor who uses horse therapy to heal addicts.

Maria Anderson reports. Listen to the audio story on mtm**heffect.com.