Rocky Boy declares tribal war on drugs

Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation has long had a problem with drug abuse, said Stone Child College President Melody Henry.

But the situation has gotten worse lately, she said, and the community is prepared to fight back.

"The tribal council last week declared war on drugs," she said. "We are going to fight drug abuse."

The tribe and the college plan a series of event this week to let drug dealers know they have a fight on their hands.

Thursday's activities will include a march through several villages on the Box Elder side of the reservation.

"We will walk through the communities with anti-drug signs and let people see what we are doing," Henry said.

The activities will begin at 9 a.m. at the Little Bear Gym on the campus. At 10 a.m., people will be transported to the various villages for the march.

At noon, they will return to the gym for a community feed and to listen to anti-drug guest speakers.

"We will let people know we want our community back," she said.

Such high profile anti-drug protests will make a substantial impact in the community, she said.

Henry said drug use impacts every aspect of community life.

Many parents are addicted to drugs and unable to take care of the children, she said.

Young people get hooked on drugs and lose interest in their studies, she said.

She said at a recent tribal council meeting, one woman said that 60 people are affected for each person who uses drugs. Family and friends suffer consequences when drugs take a hod of people's lives.

Some people are talking about a Facebook page to infirm people of the anti-drug programs.

"We would like to have a 'turn in a pusher' program," she said.

"There is a lot of meth on our community," she said, though other drugs are also pervasive. "It is affecting an entire generation."

Tuesday, 6 p.m .: People interested in talking about drug problems on the reservation are urged to meet at the Vo-Tech Center. The weekly sessions were started by families who have been affected by drug abuse.

Wednesday, 10:30 a.m .: A community feed to talk about the drug programs will be held at Stone Child College's Little Bear Gymnasium.

Thursday, 9 a.m .: People are invited to gather at Little Bear Gym to organize an anti-drug protest. At 10 .m., the people will be transported to the villages near Box Elder, where they will walk through the streets carrying signs and yelling slogans to get the anti-drug message across. Afterward, there will be a community feed, and people will listen to guest speakers.