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Mary Annette Pember: Rosebud Sioux Tribe battles meth epidemic

Monday, June 13, 2016

Members of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota participate in a methamphetamine awareness walk on May 5, 2016. Photo from Rosebud Sioux Tribe Meth Initiative / Facebook

Despite high relapse rates, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota is committed to helping people stay off methamphetamine. Independent journalist Mary Annette Pember reports from a run and rally where meth addicts were required to share their stories as part of plea agreements in tribal court.

It was a beautiful May day for a community run and gathering in Rosebud, South Dakota. Kids chased after hundreds of colorful balloons. More than 300 children and community members lolled on the grass, ate barbecue and danced a round dance during this community’s first outdoor festival of the year. The event looked like a typical small town celebration but took on an ominous tone when it was time for the speeches. The presenters had come to discuss a deadly subject: meth addiction.
This gathering was the Four Directions Meth Awareness Run and Rally coordinated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe’s Meth Initiative program.
Some of the presenters were nervous, and their anxiety was clearly more than stage-fright. Some of them, still tweaking from long-term meth use, approached the microphone gingerly, and shifted nervously from foot to foot as they spoke. The most anxious speakers, who sweated and fumbled, were those who’d been court-ordered to publicly announce their meth addiction as part of their plea agreements in tribal court. The tribe has to deal with so many meth-related arrests that it employs a part-time prosecutor who deals only with these cases.
Others, who’d been sober for a long time, were clear-eyed and calm as they talked about the havoc meth had wrought in their lives. They spoke of the blessings of sobriety and the gratitude they felt about having their lives and loved ones back.
All of the presenters, however, shared the same message: meth, no matter how it is used, will eventually kill you

Get the Story:
Mary Annette Pember: Fighting the Tweak: How Meth Kills (Indian Country Today 6/13)