In a recent Talk Back interview with Austin Knudsen, a Republican candidate for Montana Attorney General, he said that his opponent in the primary, current Deputy AG Jon Bennion lacked experience as a practicing attorney.

On Wednesday’s Talk Back, Bennion, who appeared in the studio, responded to Knudsen’s remarks.

“In the legislature he (Knudsen) was not a friend of law enforcement,” said Bennion. “Whether it came to DUI, or voting for the prescription drug registry to fight the opiod crisis. We had our own bill to fight domestic meth production and to put stricter controls on the ingredients to make meth, and he voted against that as well.”

Bennion then took calls from KGVO listeners, one of whom asked how Bennion would combat Montana’s drug problems.

“In the last couple of years we’ve said we need to have a comprehensive strategy when it comes to addiction,” he said. “Certainly, enforcement is the key to that, and that’s well within the Attorney General’s authority, and we’ve been doing that. We also need to have a bigger focus on prevention and treatment.”

Bennion said no one starts out intending to become addicted to drugs such as methamphetamine or opiods.

“When you talk to a lot of meth users, they were given alcohol as early ages 9, 10 or 11,” he said. “Eventually, they just graduated to something harder, stronger, and meth is something that is incredibly cheap and gives a super high, and is something that with just a couple of uses you can become addicted. It causes people to do crazy stuff, to commit violent crimes.”

View the entire interview with Jon Bennion by visiting the KGVO Facebook page.

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