Montana Meth Project Statement Regarding Billings Gazette Story

On Sunday, July 5, 2009, The Billings Gazette published a story http://matr.net/article-34969.html focused on the Montana Meth Project. The story also ran in the Helena Independent Record and the Missoulian the same day. In framing the story as a "debate" about the Montana Meth Project’s success, columnist Ed Kemmick omitted a number of key facts and misrepresented others–concerns that were expressed to the editor of The Billings Gazette prior to the story’s publication.

Last week the Montana Office of Public Instruction released new data that showed a continued drop in Meth use among Montana teens. The Montana Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), conducted statewide by the Montana Office of Public Instruction and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) every two years, showed that between 2005 and 2009, teen Meth use in Montana dropped by 63%.(1) However, Mr. Kemmick included only select data out of context from the YRBS and omitted significant findings which illustrate the changes in the scope and scale of the Meth problem in Montana since the launch of the Montana Meth Project in 2005 including third-party data showing significant, positive changes in the state.

The facts are: http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1716183/montana_meth_project_statement_regarding_billings_gazette_story/index.html?source=r_health