Lac Courte Oreilles Band fights increase in synthetic drug use

Friday, March 21, 2014  

The Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwe Indians in Wisconsin is seeing a rise in synthetic drug use on the reservation.

Tribal members packed a community forum on the issue. They heard that child placements are up 200 percent and a number of overdoses and even deaths.

"I didn't know if I was going to get a knock on the door one night from a police officer saying, 'a family member of yours is dead," said Shondel Barber, a tribal member who has been affected by the problem, Northland's News Center reported.

The tribe and local authorities are directing more resources to address the issue.

Get the Story:
LCO Tribe works to end synthetic drug use on the reservation (Northland's News Center 3/20)
LCO, Sawyer County See Sharp Uptick in Synthetic Drug Use (WDIO 3/20)