Montana News Roundup: New Drug’s Arrival is Very Deadly
Montana State Attorney General Austin Knudsen is gravely worried about the arrival of a dangerous new drug that's shown up in a Billings-area drug seizure.
And he says the discovery of thousands of pills with the powerful synthetic opioid carfentanil signals a potentially deadly development for not only drug users, but law enforcement, first responders, and parents.
-He says carfentanil is a "newer, different formulation" that is 100 times more potent than fentanyl.
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"Frankly, we've never seen a shipment this big." -Attorney General Austin Knudsen
The nearly 5,000 pills that tested positive for carfentanil were part of a seizure of 5,000 "regular" fentanyl tablets. But the state says users wouldn't have known the difference because they're also marked with the same "M30" stamp.
To give some sense of carefentanil's danger, it's 10,000 times more potent than morphine, and is used to tranquilize elephants.
"Why a human being would put that in their body is beyond me," Knudsen tells me. "This is just super, super dangerous stuff. A microscopic amount could be lethal."
Knudsen says carfentanil isn't produced domestically or in Canada and is coming directly from two Mexican cartels who are known to be trafficking in Montana. He also notes it's worth little in Arizona or Texas, but is being brought north because it's much more profitable.
"We are urging Montanans to be on alert following this large drug seizure. These drugs are extremely dangerous: one pill can kill," Knudsen warns. "Never take a pill that was not prescribed by your doctor.”
He also advises law enforcement and first responders to have naloxone available to deal with overdoses, and says drug users shouldn't "use alone" and avoid taking pills "from the street or online."
Authorities say if someone overdoses, you should call 911 right away. The Good Samaritan Law protects you and the person overdosing from facing drug charges.
Montana Bans Lab Meat
🍔 -You won't be tucking into a bionic burger anytime soon in Montana.
As expected, Governor Greg Gianforte has signed the bill banning "lab meat" from ever being marketed, sold, and served in Montana.
As he signed House Bill 401 into law, Gianforte said, "if you've ever had the pleasure of enjoying a cut of Montana beef, you know there's no substitute."
The law prohibits the manufacture for sale, sale, or distribution of cell-cultured edible product:
What that means: “the concept of meat, including but not limited to muscle cells, fat cells, connective tissue, blood, and other components produced via cell culture, rather than from a whole slaughtered animal.”
Violation of the law is a misdemeanor.
Judge Says 2 MSU Students Can Stay
A U.S. District Court judge is granting permission for two MSU students to be able to stay in Montana while they challenge a deportation order.
-ACLU of Montana filed the suit last month after the two students were told their F-1 visas were being revoked.
Blackhawk Down, Antlers Up
-Authorities in Sweet Grass County are investigating an unusual case of theft involving elk antlers and a Blackhawk helicopter.
The Big Timber Pioneer reports that Montana FWP is looking into reports that a Montana National Guard helicopter landed on private ranch land in the Crazy Mountain foothills and reportedly stole antlers last week.
The Sweet Grass County Sheriff and the Montana National Guard are confirming the incident, and indicating the airmen are working on an apology and possible return of the antlers, which could be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Montana Wayback Wednesday:
🐂 -Montana's first "brush with beef" happened all the way back in the 1850s, when a small herd was brought from Oregon for Father Desmet of the Jesuits. Métis rancher Johnny Grant began wintering cattle in the Deer Lodge Valley in the 1850s, with Conrad Kohrs purchasing the ranch in 1866.
That's also the same year Nelson Story used his mining profits to buy 600 head of Texas longhorns via the Bozeman Trail.
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Gallery Credit: Derek Wolf