SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – South Dakota’s new anti-drug campaign is drawing nationwide mockery for its slogan that seems to suggest the state is on meth, but police say the attention couldn’t have come at a better time, and now a member of the Noem administration has come to the defense of the campaign as well.

    

Local police departments are contending with a drug that is now more potent and cheaper, leading to a surge of use in the state and across the Midwest. The Drug Enforcement Administration is reporting an increase in the amount of meth seized in South Dakota this year.

    

South Dakota Tourism Department Secretary Jim Hagen concedes this is no ordinary anti-drug campaign. He says people mocking it are essentially helping out, because it’s causing them to talk about meth, which is exactly the goal…..

 


    

State Senator Craig Kennedy of Yankton, a Democrat, was on an interim legislative committee studying the meth problem in South Dakota. He says fixing it requires some bold, new steps, and this campaign might be a start….

 

    

The drug is known for being highly addictive and police say it’s often tied to violent crime. Officers say preventing people from ever taking the highly addictive drug is essential to stopping the surge.

    

Gov. Kristi Noem is spending $1.4 million on a campaign called, “Meth. We’re on it.”