Julie Richards, left, is leading a campaign against methamphetamine abuse on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Photo courtesy Julie Richards

Tribal leaders and federal officials are meeting in South Dakota this week to discuss substance abuse and methamphetamine issues in Indian Country.

The Yankton Sioux Tribe is hosting the North American Inter-Tribal Drug Task Force on Thursday and Friday at the Fort Randall Casino & Hotel in Lake Andes. The group formed earlier this year and this will be their third summit since January.

"Tribal leadership know that in order to have a successful strategy they must take a unified stand against this methamphetamine epidemic destroying our people," Kelly Marie King, a child welfare advocate and member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, said in a press release. "These summits bring hope to an otherwise hopeless situation by uniting Native people against this common enemy.”

The agenda features presentations from tribes, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney's Office in South Dakota.

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