For Immediate Release: Friday, Jan. 20, 2023

Contact: Dani Henkel, dani.henkel@state.sd.us

Reaching the Summit: The Future Begins Today

PIERRE, SD - The Department of Tribal Relations will be hosting the fifth annual State Tribal Meth Summit on January 24, 2023, in Pierre. The event will allow us to carry on the discussion about preventing and treating substance abuse in South Dakota communities, by highlighting some successful programs in tribal communities and in the Urban Indian community. Governor Kristi Noem will give opening remarks for the event.

Methamphetamine has proven to be a long lasting and widespread issue in South Dakota. In 2019, it was reported that .88% of South Dakota’s population aged 12 and older used Methamphetamine, compared to a national average of .56%.

“Over the years, the summits have been crucial in having tough conversations about the impact of drug use.” stated Secretary David Flute. “The act of bringing tribal and state entities together to collaborate is vital to ensuring that we are combatting this issue from every angle that we can.”

South Dakota Department of Health, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Dakotah Pride Center, Fusion Center, CDC Foundation, and Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board will be presenting at the summit.

The event is open to the public to attend. The department especially encourages treatment providers, state leaders, tribal leaders, and law enforcement officials to attend the event. As stated in the Noem Administration’s Anyone. Everyone. campaign, “You. Your neighbors. Your fellow South Dakotans are bound by the problem of meth. You’ve seen meth’s effects on the faces you know and even those you don’t. Now is not the time to discriminate, but to band together. Because meth affects everyone, and we need everyone to beat it.”

For more information about the summit and to register, visit Eventbrite page.