Methamphetamine has reached a crisis level in Indian Country, according to tribal and federal officials.

Leah Fyten, the director of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe's Housing Authority, said every family on the South Dakota reservation has been affected by the drug. She said the tribe is spending more and more money to repair the damage meth causes to homes.

"Housing gets worse every year. And to try to repair houses that are damaged by alcohol and drug abuse puts a strain on your budget," she told the Associated Press.

Robert McSwain, the deputy director of the Indian Health Service, told a Senate committee that meth use has exploded in recent years. Studies have shown that more and more young Natives are trying the drug.

Get the Story:
Meth Takes a Toll on Indian Reservations (AP 6/12)
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