State AG announces new program to put life-saving naloxone kits in schools
BILLINGS – Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced Friday a Montana Department of Justice program to put life-saving opioid reversal kits in middle and high schools across Montana.
The program builds on Attorney General Knudsen’s mission to combat the fentanyl crisis in the state and save lives, according to a news release from his office.
The kit includes the tools needed to revive someone suffering from an opioid overdose including naloxone (a medicine used to reverse opioid overdoses), instructions on how to administer naloxone, a CPR respirator mask, a CPR face shield and educational information.
“These naloxone kits will help us save lives. The fentanyl crisis is widespread in Montana and it’s making its way into every inch of our communities, including schools. Educating students on the dangers of fentanyl is the first step in preventing more tragedies, but having naloxone on hand will help schools be prepared for a worst-case scenario. It’s more important than ever as the Mexican cartels are getting more creative and disguising the deadly drug as candy and other drugs. Knudsen said. "As attorney general, I will continue to do everything I can to keep fentanyl out of our communities. Please do your part and talk to your children about the dangers of illicit drugs. Together, we can save lives.”
Knudsen made the announcement and delivered the first naloxone kit to Billings Senior High School. He was joined by Billings Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Erwin Garcia and Division of Criminal Investigation Drug Intelligence Officer Will Janisch. The program is a partnership with the Montana Department of Justice and Facing Fentanyl.
The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services reports that 326 children ages 0-17 visited the emergency room or were hospitalized due to an unintentional overdose in 2022 and 276 visited the emergency room or hospital for the same reason last year.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1,582 children aged 0-19 died from a drug related overdose in 2022.
Fentanyl seizures by anti-drug task forces in Montana have skyrocketed in recent years. Through the first quarter of 2024, Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task forces seized a total of 163,184 dosage units of fentanyl in Montana compared to 65,142 during the same time in 2023.
Throughout all last year, a total of 398,000 dosage units were seized. In 2022, 188,823 dosage units were seized, and 60,557 dosages units were seized in 2021.
The State Crime Lab preliminarily reported 22 overdose deaths involving fentanyl as of June 2024 – in 2023 there was a total of 80. However, this number does not reflect the entire statewide total, as the crime lab only verifies deaths that involve an autopsy.
To combat the problem in Montana, Attorney General Knudsen secured funding for two narcotics agents at the Division of Criminal Investigation, during the 2023 Legislative Session.
He also supported bills that will help combat the crisis, including House Bill 791 which imposes a mandatory two years of jail time, a $50,000 fine, or both, for anyone convicted of selling fentanyl in Montana, and Senate Bill 67 which revises drugs scheduled for Schedule I, Schedule II, Schedule III, Schedule IV, and Schedule V controlled substances and provides updates to each listed schedule, enabling more state-level prosecutions.
In addition to increasing the number of Montana Department of Justice narcotics and major case agents, Attorney General Knudsen added a statewide drug intelligence officer who assists local law enforcement and public health agencies and spearheaded a grant program that helped deploy two dozen drug detecting K9s across the state.
Additionally, Attorney General Knudsen continues to hold the federal government accountable for their role in the fentanyl crisis. Earlier this year, he testified in a U.S. House of Representatives impeachment hearing against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for his failure to enforce federal immigration law and properly secure the southern border.
Attorney General Knudsen has also called on the Biden-Harris administration to designate drug cartels as terrorist organizations and classify fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction.
“We appreciate our partnership with the Attorney General’s Office and their efforts to keep students safe," Dr. Garcia said.