Drug Enforcement Agent (DEA) Stacy Zinn spoke to the public on Monday October 17th at the Senior Center. The talk was sponsored by Musselshell County Prevention. Stacy spoke informatively about the different kinds of drugs and drug abuse that the agency is seeing in Montana. The influx of fentanyl is the gravest concern at the moment because it is the most dangerous drug of all, and is currently being laced in many other drugs.

The cartels are moving into Montana and you might wonder why. She explained that drugs that can be sold in Las Angeles or Las Vegas for $15 per pill are being sold in Montana for over $100. This opportunity is not being missed by the drug pushers. Fentanyl the size of a few grains of salt can kill instantly. Agents have been killed in the process of trying to save the lives of drug abusers simply from breathing it. When interviewing Sheriff Lesnik a few weeks ago, he explained that the drug problem is not exclusive to Roundup or even Montana, but it is everywhere, and a war that we are losing. He further explained that it is not a matter of IF we will lose people we know in the community, but WHEN. A sobering statement.

The whole development around Musselshell County Prevention is to stop drug abuse before it starts. Montana is not only seeing many new people move in, but an increase in drugs and cartel. This is dangerous for our youth and communities all over. Though we have an increase in population we do not have an increase in law enforcement and municipalities. This also compounds the difficulty in dealing with the increase in drugs.

When listening after the presentation the question was asked "What can we do to prevent our children from becoming victims of drugs?" Most of the answers revolved around the community needing more activities for youth. The age-old complaint "There is nothing to do in this town" is not exclusive to Roundup. This truly is a complaint of teens in every rural community. Another complaint was that some had moved to Roundup to get away from a drug problem where they came from. Sadly, there is drugs in nearly every community everywhere.

Stacy Zinn explained that as a whole, the one necessary fix is to be careful how you vote. Legislators are the ones who create laws and regulations around drugs. She further explained that voting for the legalization of Marijuana is going to create more issues for Montana. An example she gave is that in Colorado and California where the drug was made legal, the legal growers can't compete with the illegal growers, and the cartels bought up every inch of land to grow illegally. The consumer then is paying less for the cartel pot which may be laced, and is in no way regulated. The cartels also will grow pot illegally on public lands. She also explained that pot today is nothing like pot when she was young. The level of THC is so much more in pot today. She stated that the brain is not fully developed till you are over twenty. No matter what pot advocates tell you, the THC will affect your brain development. This fact is part of why the legal age to drink alcohol is set at twenty-one.

Cameron McCleary started a neighborhood watch program for Roundup, and that is a positive action for prevention. The local church has a youth center that provides entertainment and snacks for many of the youth. The Musselshell County Prevention group is looking for ideas, volunteers, and activities. If you feel that you can be a help to this cause, reach out to Angie Mozqueda on the Musselshell County Prevention page on Facebook or call her at 951-345-8412 or go to the website, musselshellcountyprevention.com.