Tester statement on northern border, Bakken drug report

(PABLO, Mont.) – Senator Jon Tester today released the following statement after the Office of National Drug Control Policy released a report on the drug trade and law enforcement efforts along the country’s northern border:

“The Bakken oil boom is bringing new economic opportunities to Montana and North Dakota, but it’s also creating opportunities for criminal trafficking and forcing communities to cope with unseen levels of drug use. I will continue working to bring more attention and resources to the northern border and the Bakken so our communities are safe and our quality of life is strong.”

Tester, Montana’s senior U.S. Senator, held a roundtable in Glendive in 2013 with then-National Drug Control Policy Director R. Gil Kerlikowske and Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) to discuss ways to reduce local drug abuse.

Tester in June added a provision to the Justice Department’s funding bill directing the department to develop a plan to support law enforcement in the Bakken. He also held a field hearing on border security in Havre in 2013 as chairman of the Senate Homeland Security subcommittee that oversees government programs.

The report can be found online HERE.

 

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