HURON – Methamphet-amine use is a growing problem in Beadle County and across the state, but drug courts established by the Legislature are gradually making a difference, Sheriff Doug Solem said Thursday.
Three people have graduated from Beadle County’s drug court since it was established in the summer of 2015 and three more are expected to successfully complete the intense program in the next few months, he said.
“If you would have asked me five, six years ago I would have said, ‘hey, it’s (meth) not a problem,’” Solem said at the District 22 Democratic Forum.
“But it’s fast becoming a very big problem and it’s a very big problem in our state right now, too,” he said.
While he was among the skeptics of the drug court concept at the outset, Solem said he’s now a believer in it.
“It’s a very good program,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of progress.”
Once a week, participants – who have been accepted through an application process as an alternative to prison – meet with a judge in the court setting to discuss their progress.
Throughout the program, which takes 18 to 24 months to complete, participants are highly supervised. They must give random urine samples, hold down a job and meet with counselors.

When they appear before the judge, they share how many days they’ve been drug free.
“There’s people in there that have been 100 days sober, and they haven’t been 100 days sober since they were 14,” Solem said.
Still, it does take time for them to get into the program as their minds clear, he said.
Methamphetamine is highly addictive. It’s ingested, snorted, smoked or injected, Solem said.
“It’s an artificial substance that’s made from very toxic materials,” he said.
A stimulant that gives users a big surge of adrenaline, it makes them aggressive and feel like they’re capable of doing anything, he said. They can stay awake for days at a time, but when the drug starts to wear off they might also then sleep for days as their body recovers, Solem said.
Withdrawal brings depression and a lack of energy as well as a craving for more meth.
“And the only way that you can experience that high that you were on before is to get more meth,” he said, “and it takes more and more and more to get you back to where you were at.”
He said nine of the 21 people currently serving time at the Regional Correction Center are there because of controlled substances or methamphetamine.
Meanwhile, Solem said the sheriff’s office issues concealed weapons permits.
Applicants are asked for basic information like their name, address, weight and height and how long they have lived at their current residence.
They must also divulge whether they have a police record, no matter how minor. The office runs a nationwide background check to find out the individual’s driving record and whether they have been involved in a crime, Solem said.
The application also asks if they have ever been a patient in a mental institution. Staff can verify that by checking with the Human Services Center in Yankton.

ROGER LARSEN/PLAINSMAN
Beadle County Sheriff Doug Solem was the guest speaker at Thursday’s District 22 Democratic forum at the Huron Event Center.