PIERRE, S.D. — In South Dakota's ongoing fight against methamphetamine abuse , the state Department of Social Services is partnering with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe to establish an intensive treatment program on the reservation.
According to a Thursday, Aug. 22, news release from Republican Gov. Kristi Noem's office, the partnership makes Rosebud the first of South Dakota's nine sovereign tribes to operate a treatment program. There are currently five other methamphetamine treatment providers in the state.
DSS Secretary Laurie Gill said in Thursday's release that bringing a treatment program to Rosebud will help make long-term outpatient treatment and support more accessible.
Rosebud members told legislators earlier this month that the tribe has been hit particularly hard by the spread of meth use across the region. A summer legislative study led by Senate Minority Leader Troy Heinert, a Rosebud member himself, is examining the problem statewide.
Tribes have also been in talks with the state to establish joint powers agreements, which would allow state law enforcement to help tribal police with drug enforcement. Some tribal members are wary of the proposal, in fear of sacrificing tribal sovereignty.
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The state in March passed its Fiscal Year 2020 budget , which fully funded Noem's $4.6 million increase in methamphetamine prevention spending.
