On National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day AG Knudsen reminds Montanans of drug’s deadly impact

HELENA – Attorney General Austin Knudsen issued the following statement on National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, warning Montanans of the dangers of illicit fentanyl:

“So far this year, fentanyl seizures in Montana are down and that’s great news. We can attribute a lot of that progress to President Trump’s efforts to secure the southern border and keep drugs out of our communities. However, we can’t get complacent. Still, too many Montanans are dying of fentanyl overdoses. I will continue to do everything I can at the Montana Department of Justice, working with local and federal law enforcement, to get this poison off the streets and hold drug traffickers accountable. I encourage every Montanan to join us in our effort to combat the fentanyl crisis: educate yourself and your friends and family on the dangers of fentanyl and never take a pill that isn’t prescribed to you.”

Through March 31, Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (RMHIDTA) task forces, which includes the Montana Department of Justice’s narcotics bureau agents and Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) criminal interdiction teams, seized a total of 31,506 dosage units of fentanyl in Montana compared to 163,184 dosage units in the first quarter of 2024 – a decrease of 81 percent. So far this year, the Montana Highway Patrol has seized 4,292 fentanyl pills and 1.5 pounds of fentanyl powder.

However, fentanyl-linked deaths are on pace to break records. According to the State Crime Lab, there have been 46 fentanyl-linked fatal overdoses in Montana as of June 30. The crime lab reports that in 34 of those fatal overdoses, fentanyl has been mixed with another illegal drug, like methamphetamine. In all of 2024, there were 55 fentanyl-linked overdoses reported by the State Crime Lab. This number does not reflect the entire statewide total, as the crime lab only verifies deaths that involve an autopsy.

Attorney General Knudsen has made it a priority of his administration to combat the opioid crisis in Montana. Last week, he hosted the Montana Department of Justice Opioid Overdose Prevention Summit, which brought together stakeholders from across the state to discuss how to combat the opioid crisis in Montana. During the 2025 session, he supported Senate Bill 261, which allows prosecutors to charge adults with endangering the welfare of a child if fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and other dangerous drugs are found in their possession while a child is present.

In 2023, he supported House Bill 791 which imposes a mandatory two years of jail time, a $50,000 fine, or both, for anyone convicted of selling fentanyl in Montana, and Senate Bill 67 which revises drugs scheduled for Schedule I, Schedule II, Schedule III, Schedule IV, and Schedule V controlled substances and provides updates to each listed schedule, enabling more state-level prosecutions.

Additionally, Attorney General Knudsen has worked to hold opioid manufactures accountable for their role in contributing to the opioid epidemic by agreeing to settlements with the manufactures totaling at least $22 million for Montana in the last calendar year. Last year, he also put life-saving opioid reversal kits in middle and high schools across the state.