Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers 153 Shining a light on the lived experience of addiction in Saskatchewan (continued) SASKATCHEWAN’S METH CRISIS Fletcher sees a social hierarchy with substance use, and is working to change that. “In our society, alcohol is accepted, and so is cannabis, more or less, because they’re legal. Yet, if you’re using meth, you’re seen as dirty, horrible, and disgusting,” she says. “We tend to divide society into an us-versus-them mentality, and the only way we find ourselves caring about substance use disorders is if we’ve been personally touched by them. Yet we need to care. If we don’t understand why so many people are turning to crystal meth or dying of fentanyl overdoses, then how can we empathize with the person in the street having a psychotic episode?” Saskatchewan is currently in the throes of an addiction crisis. According to a recent study published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, about 14 per cent of Saskatchewan residents have an addiction to drugs or alcohol – the highest per-capita rate of drug and alcohol addiction in the country. According to police in both Regina and Saskatoon, there is evidence that crystal meth use is exploding. The blue-tinged crystal rock is used as a stimulant that is either smoked, or crushed and injected. While much attention has been paid to the nation’s opioid crisis (nearly 400 people died of an opioid overdose in Saskatchewan in 2020, double the fatalities since 2018), police say meth use has flown under the radar. Meth is an “upper,” whereas fentanyl is an opiate or “downer” similar to morphine, but 50-100 times more potent. Some users rely on meth and fentanyl in a vicious cycle of getting high on the “upper” and then using fentanyl to come back down. Constable Matt Ingrouille of the Saskatoon Police Guns and Gangs Unit says he’s seeing more meth, and it’s affecting kids as young as 10. “Everyone can afford to be a dealer these days, with massively cheap product coming in,” Ingrouille explains. “While people think of Breaking Bad, with meth being cooked in rundown trailers using locally sourced chemicals and supplies, the bulk of the meth hitting Saskatchewan actually comes from highly sophisticated labs in China and Mexico, with drug cartels moving it into Vancouver, up to Edmonton, and down into Saskatoon. Kids are getting addicted because it’s so cheap. Onetenth of a gram of meth used to cost $20. Now you can get high for $5.” Constable Matt Ingrouille of the Saskatoon Police Guns and Gangs Unit says he’s seeing more meth, and it’s affecting kids as young as 10. (Photo by Matt Smith) continued
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