The South Dakota Department of Tribal Relations is working to ‘STUMP’ drugs

RAPID CITY, SD (KOTA) – According to the National Center of Drug Abuse Statistics, there are 86 drug overdose deaths each year in South Dakota.

To combat this problem, the South Dakota Department of Tribal Relations hosted a drug bust event in communities across the state.

The seventh annual State Tribal Opioid and Meth Prevention Summit, or STOMP, brought together state, local and tribal prevention providers, as well as law enforcement, to build a better future for South Dakota.

The two-day summit in Pierre highlighted the importance of finding a way to combat the drug epidemic in South Dakota, especially in lower-income and tribal communities.

“Drugs don’t recognize borders, they don’t recognize territories, they don’t recognize state or tribal boundaries and these issues impact all of South Dakota, so the best way to combat these issues is to work together and build partnerships,” David Flute, said the cabinet secretary of the South Dakota Department of Tribal Relations.

Flute emphasizes the importance of collaboration between the state and the tribes to serve every community in South Dakota.

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