Legislators searching for solutions on meth, opioid epidemic in Midwest

Opioids, heroin and meth continue to be a problem in the Midwest, but some medical and judicial professionals are finding success in stemming it, legislators heard on Wednesday.

A disconnect about ways to reduce drug addiction needs to be addressed between law enforcement and public health officials, and treatment needs to be more accessible in rural areas, legislators decided at the International Legislators Forum on Wednesday. The forum is an annual meeting of legislators from the Dakotas, Minnesota and Manitoba. 

The three-day forum, which wrapped up Wednesday, heard about water quality issues, state marijuana laws and the opioid crisis. The legislators also agreed that they need more research and data about marijuana to be able to recommend policies, and when it comes to improving water quality, states need to be mindful that waterways cross their borders and bring together stakeholders on projects. 

More:Colorado, South Dakota officials debate merits of legalized marijuana

Rep. Chris Karr, R-Sioux falls, said the forum acts as a "bigger brain trust" on issues that are occurring in all of their jurisdictions and for which they're all trying to find solutions.

The conversations about opioids and exploring options for treatment can be applied to South Dakota, which has a lack of treatment options, Karr said. Dr. Heather Bell and Dr. Kurt DeVine from Little Falls, Minn., told legislators about the success they've seen in their opioid treatment, and Karr said it's a reminder that sometimes it takes building a coalition and implementing good practices rather than a state law to solve a problem.

"As legislators, sometimes our knee-jerk reaction is to pass a law to fix everything," Karr said.

Looking at improving treatment, not laws

Sen. Reynold Nesiba, D-Sioux Falls, said he was impressed with the Little Falls doctors' work to implement medically assisted treatment for opioid-addicted inmates in their local jail, change the way prescriptions were handled and begin immediate care for addiction for people who come to their emergency room. 

Legislators need to approach the drug problems in their communities as both a law enforcement issue and a public health crisis. The solution may not be jail time for a person, and they may need to find other ways to address the addiction, he said.

"South Dakota is behind in terms of offering treatment opportunities, whether one has been incarcerated or not, but we need to more," he said.

He added that states also need to do a better job at offering places where people can bring their unused medicine as a way to reduce drug use.

Sioux Falls on track to 'demolish' meth seizure record

Bell and DeVine, along with Sioux Falls law enforcement and a Twin Cities judge spent four hours on Wednesday describing to legislators the challenges they face because of opioids, heroin and meth in the communities. 

Sioux Falls is getting hit on two fronts: an increasing meth problem and increasing number of overdose deaths from heroin, Sioux Falls Police Lt. Randy Brink told the legislators.

The 56 pounds of meth seized in Sioux Falls last year was a record and the city is on track to "absolutely demolish" that record this year, Brink said. Meth prices have "never been cheaper" and there's a high demand for it, he said. "This is a business. The drug dealers out there are making money."

The Sioux Falls Area Task Force is on track this year to surpass the number of operations it conducts in the city, which was 404 in 2017 and 409 in 2018, Brink said. The city is closing in on having an equal number of arrests for possession of meth as it does possession of marijuana. 

Sioux Falls has heroin users, but doesn't typically have large heroin sale operations. The problem is that when fentanyl is mixed into the heroin to increase its potency, Brink said.

The city is expected to surpass the number of overdoses this year than it's had in the past. Law enforcement responded to 44 calls for overdoses in Sioux Falls last year, and there were 17 overdose deaths, ages 17 to 62. Sioux Falls already had eight overdoses deaths in the first four months of the year, he said.