BUTTE, Mont. — It’s official. Meth is back in Montana and it’s more dangerous than ever.
Opioid abuse has gotten a lot of the headlines in recent years but in Montana, methamphetamine has slowly become the drug that law enforcement officials deal with frequently.
What used to be made in Montana labs in the eighties and nineties is now in the hands of the Mexican cartel.
When it was home grown, authorities said the methamphetamine they pulled off the streets was under 20 percent pure. State laws cracked down on homegrown labs in the early 2000’s making it harder to get the chemicals needed.
Now it’s 99 percent pure flowing through the U.S. border from super labs according to Montana Department of Justice Administrator Bryan Lockerby.