Montana Vs United States. How Does MT Compare With Drug Use?

With more people comes more crime and inevitably that means more drugs. It's an unfortunate situation, but it is a reality.

Luckily we have law enforcement working diligently to get drugs coming to or through our state, stopped.

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Recently there was a drug bust in Billings that uncovered 25 pounds of Methamphetamine. The vehicle was traveling from California to an unknown destination. Thankfully the Montana Highway Patrol Officer that pulled the car over for a traffic violation was able to use their keen skills and stop these drugs from corrupting our streets.

In January of 2023, a 32-year-old woman was found guilty of transporting 25 pounds of Meth from Colorado to Billings and 4 pounds to Bozeman. She was found guilty and faces a mandatory minimum of five years to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine, and at least four years of supervised release.

The real question is, does Montana have a drug problem and where do they rank when compared to the rest of the United States?

According to Wallethub, who took nice factors into consideration:

• Percentage of teenage users
• Percentage of Teenagers Who Were Offered, Sold, Or Given An Illegal Drug On School Property
• Percentage of Adult Drug Users
• Opioid Prescriptions per 100 People
• Overdose Deaths per Capita
• Drug Arrests per Capita
• Percentage of Adults with Unmet Drug-Treatment Needs
• Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities per 100,000 Drug Users
• People Receiving Substance Abuse Treatment per 1,000 Drug Users

Montana is in the bottom half, but it's not too far from making the top 25 for Drug Use By State.

Is it possible to stop all drugs from coming into our communities? No, but our law enforcement is on top of any and all leads they receive in order to slow drug trafficking in Montana. In 2022 alone, the DEA seized the equivalent of more than 410 million lethal doses of fentanyl. If that number doesn't scare you, I am not sure what will.

CC: WalletHub, Justice.gov