Education

Public education and outreach are important parts of preventing methamphetamine use in Montana.

Community toolkit
The community toolkit has a variety of pieces to help community groups educate the public about meth. There are brochures, posters, bookmarks and stickers. A CD and a DVD are included, with public service announcements, slide shows and a copy of a student documentary made by University of Montana students. The kit also includes a "leaders' guide" with suggestions and tips for using the pieces. For more information on the toolkit, call the Department of Justice at (406) 444-2026 or the MSU Extension Service at (406) 994-3451.

Tools for Schools
The Department of Justice and the Montana Office of Public Instruction collaborated on Tools for Schools, a series of 10 PowerPoint presentations tailored for students in grades 6-8 and 9-12. The presentations cover a number of topics related to teens and methamphetamine, including general information, body image, media literacy and how to help friends at risk. It also includes a curriculum guide with lesson plans, classroom activities and games. For information on Tools for Schools, contact the Office of Public Instruction at (406) 444-3095.

Teen meth use

The Office of Public Instruction administers the Montana Youth Risk Behavior Survey every two years to students in grades 7-12.

A special report (PDF) from the Office of Public Instruction compared the behavior of young people who admitted using meth with those who said they have not used it.

In general, Montana youth who use meth place themselves at a higher risk for negative health consequences from other behaviors – drinking, driving after drinking, using other drugs, fighting, attempting suicide – than young people who do not use methamphetamine.

April 2008 report

In April 2008, Montana Attorney General Mike McGrath released a follow up report on the state's progress against methamphetamine.

Methamphetamine in Montana: A Follow-up Report on Trends and Progress was done in conjunction with the Montana Meth Project. Trends identified in the report were based on data including drug task force incident reports, law enforcement statistics, crime lab reports, hospital discharge and admission information, survey results and interviews with participating agencies.

[ BACK TO TOP ]