METHAMPHETAMINETHE NEW EPIDEMIC

PAGC HOLISTIC WELLNESS CENTRE

STACEY LEDOUX

WHAT IS IT AND WHY IS IT SO ADDICTIVE?

Methamphetamine also known as “crystal meth”,

or simply “meth” is a synthetic and highly addictive drug. It is

produced illegally and is potent, long lasting, easy

to find and cheap. It can be snorted, smoked or

injected.

In crystal form, meth looks like small chips of ice or rock salt. These can be clear or cloudy and are

often sold in the corner of baggies called “points”.

This is the primary form of meth found in

Saskatchewan. It is the most potent and preferred

form. Common names include “shard”, “bitches”,

“girls”, “jib”, or simply “meth”

In powder form, meth is crystalline, odorless,

bitter-tasting and dissolves easily in water

or alcohol. It is in this form that many users are

tricked into thinking they are using cocaine. This

form is commonly referred to as “gakk” or “bunk” as regular users consider it

to be low quality.

WHAT DOES METH LOOK LIKE?

• LEFT PHOTO: METH IN CRYSTAL FORM BEFORE IT IS WEIGHED AND

TIED INTO A “POINT”

• RIGHT PHOTO: A “POINT” OF METH IN POWDER FORM

METH PARAPHERNALIA

TINFOIL METHODUSERS BURN METH (POWDER OR

CRYSTAL) ON A SMALL PIECE OF FOLDED

TINFOIL AND THEN USE A GLASS STRAW

TO INHALE THE FUMES. USERS ARE NOT

ONLY BREATHING IN THE TOXINS FROM

THE DRUG BUT ALSO FROM THE

BURNING ALUMINUM FOIL.

METH PIPEGLASS METH PIPES ARE AVAILABLE FOR

LEGAL PURCHASE ONLINE OR IN “HEAD

SHOPS” (MARIJUANA STORES). THESE

PIPES FREQUENTLY CAUSE BURNS TO

THE LIPS OR TONGUE AND WHEN SHARED

INCREASE THE RISK OF CONTRACTING

HEPATITIS C AND HIV

HOME MADE LIGHTBULB PIPELIGHTBULB PIPES ARE ALSO COMMON

BUT THEY ARE NOT THE PREFERRED

METHOD OF DELIVERY. LIKE A GLASS

PIPE, A LIGHTBULB PIPE WILL HEAT UP

WHEN SMOKING AND CAN SOMETIMES

BREAK UNDER THE PRESSURE OF HEAT

CAUSING BURNS AND CUTS.

HOW DOES METH WORK?

Meth produces the most intense and pleasurable high that the brain can experience from any drug. It has been referred to as “the nuclear weapon of drugs” due to it’s incredible potency and addiction rate.

Meth triggers the reward center in the brain causing it to directly release huge amounts of dopamine, the brain’s “feel good” chemical. Meth also blocks dopamine receptors that keep the level balanced which results in huge waves of dopamine being constantly released. Imagine a sink with a plug in it filling up with water. The faucet and the plug are meth, the water is dopamine, and the sink is the brain.

An estimated 10% of first time users are immediately addicted. This percentage is most likely much higher.

A meth high is 3 times stronger than the high felt from crack cocaine. It also lasts much longer. The initial high from crack lasts for a maximum of 15 minutes whereas the initial high from meth can last an hour.

Meth overloads the brain with dopamine to the point that the dopamine receptors are then “burnt out” which means a user can lose the ability to feel pleasure (anhedonia), sometimes permanently.

WHY IS METH SO POPULAR?It is cheap to make, cheap to buy, creates the strongest high the brain can experience and is highly addictive.

Because methamphetamine is a completely synthetic drug, many of the ingredients can be purchased from common hardware stores which makes production cheap, fast, and widespread

Heroin and cocaine both take months to produce as they come from the opium poppy and coca plant, meth takes days to produce in makeshift labs

Due to ingredient availability and short production time, meth can be sold for as low as $2 a point

The rate of demand is staggering due to the high levels of addiction

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS?

Meth is a combination of toxic poisons- continued use will break the body down in various ways and on all different levels (cellular, hormone, bone, organ, etc.)

The most obvious signs are Tooth decay/ loss, weight loss, organ damage, mental illness

Prolonged meth use causes the same brain damage that the auto immune disease multiple sclerosis causes, an inflammation in patches of the brain and spinal cord

Complete loss quality of life, total breakdown in all systems- financial, social, and familial.

WHAT ARE THE FACTS?

• TRADITIONAL TREATMENT SETTINGS ARE INEFFECTIVE- USERS DO NOT RETURN TO REGULAR FUNCTIONING

UNTIL THEY ARE AT LEAST 90 CLEAN FROM METH. THIS IS A BARRIER TO 28 DAY TREATMENT CENTERS.

THERE IS A NEED FOR LONG TERM TREATMENT CENTERS WITH AS MINIMUM OF A ONE YEAR STAY

• THERE ARE NO PHARMACEUTICAL SUBSTITUTES FOR CRYSTAL METH YET (SUCH AS METHADONE).

• POVERTY, AVAILABILITY, AND AFTERCARE ARE ALL BARRIERS TO TREATMENT

• METH BRAIN DAMAGE MIMICS MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

• METH BRAIN DAMAGE CAN BE CONSIDERED A “CHEMICALLY ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY”

• THE BRAIN WILL BEGIN TO REPAIR ITSELF AFTER 14 MONTHS OF ABSTINENCE FROM METH

WHAT NOW…?

“They say that a prophet appeared with a strange and distant light in his eyes. The young man

came to the people with the message that in the time of the seventh fire, a new people would emerge

with a sacred purpose. It would not be easy for them. They would have to be strong and determined in

their work, for they stood at a crossroads.

The people of the seventh fire do not yet walk forward; rather, they are told to turn around and

retrace the steps of the ones who brought us here. Their sacred purpose is to walk back along the red

road of our ancestors’ path and to gather up all the fragments that lay scattered along the trail.

Fragments of land, tatters of language, bits of songs, stories, sacred teachings- all that was dropped

along the way…. We are the ones the ancestors spoke of, the ones who will bend to the task of putting

things back together to rekindle the flames of the sacred fire, to begin the rebirth of a nation.”

(Kimmerer, R. W., p.367, 2013. Braiding Sweetgrass)

OUR ANCESTORS KNEW…

Lisa Stanley

Prevention Worker, Ministikwan First Nation

Introductions

• Colin Naytowhow Team Lead Edwards Manor Supported Living Program

Founder of Okihtcitawak Patrol Group

• Heather Rattanavong Camponi Housing Wrap Around Service Coordinator

Program Development

Camponi Housing Corporation

Also known as our sister organization SaskNative Rentals Inc

• Métis non-profit affordable housing provider in Saskatoon

• Prioritize Métis and Indigenous applicants

Edwards Manor Supported Living Program

Owned and operated by SaskNative Rentals Inc.

Developed in partnership with Housing First (HF) Programs:

• Home Fire, Saskatoon Indian and Metis Friendship Centre (SIMFC)

• Journey Home, Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Services (SCIS)

“Housing First is a program guided by the belief that people need basic necessities like food and shelter before attending to higher needs such as substance use issues.”

Edwards Manor Supported Living Program

• 23 independent suites

• Male and Female adults (no children)

• Community Room

• Onsite supports

Clients/ParticipantsHigh Acuity Housing First participants

• “Hard to house”

• Chronic or episodic homelessness

• Active addictions (majority Crystal Meth)

• Poorly managed mental Illness

• Difficulty managing relationships/guest issues

• Intergenerational and personal trauma

• Most are banned from shelters, treatment and other programs

Low Barrier Housing

Meet people where they are at in their life.

• No requirements to be clean/sober

• No requirements for treatment

• No requirements to attend programming

• No requirements to have a transition plan

Challenges of Housing Active Crystal Meth Users

• Paranoia

• Psychosis

• Volatile behavior

• Unhealthy/ unstable relationships

• Poor money management

• Poor household care

• Damage to property

• Drug dealing/ Gang Involvement

• Health complications

• Poor self care

Medicine Wheel Approach to Harm Reduction

• Physical- housing, clean needles/ pipes, safe usage, food programs…

• Emotional- Peer Support, counselling, Elders…

• Mental- Understanding self and others. Traditional and non-traditional teachings, Psychiatric treatment…

• Spiritual- Ceremony, Smudge,Traditional teachings, Religion…

3C Model of Care Clinical, Culturally Appropriate Care, with Community Support.

Onsite Support:

• Intensive Case Managers (Journey Home, Home Fire)

• Cultural and Peer Supports

• Clinical Supports (Homecare, RN, Community Mental Health Nurse, Community Paramedics)

• Mobile Crisis and PACT

• Saskatoon City Police

Importance of Culture and Community• Indigenous people under utilize Clinical MH and Addiction

services in proportion to their need

• Western models of prevention and treatment don’t fit for many Indigenous people

• Approaches need to be holistic and delivered in the context of community.

• Cultural and community components of the support model have been key to the success of EM.

Cultural Peer Support

• Mentorship

• Life skill teaching

• Lived experience/Supportive counselling

• Support in meeting individual goals/case plans

• Advocacy

• Safety planning

• Conflict resolution

• Decolonization

• Smudging

• Ceremony

• Drumming

• Talking Circles

• Building Cultural Identity

• Connection to community

We are making a program that fits the needs of the client, not making the client fit the program.

• No requirement to be clean/sober

• Voluntary

• No time limits or required transition planning.

• Empower tenants to have a voice in their homes and lives.

• Culturally safe and supported environment.

• Create a community and sense of belonging inside and outside the building

Testimony• “I was homeless for a year and a half. My life has changed. I

would be dead without this place.”

• “It’s our community.”

• “I feel comfortable to be myself.”

What does success look like at EM?

Improved housing stability and quality of life!

What is improved quality of life?• Remaining housed for several months/years

• Staying on Psychiatric medication

• Talking to someone about their trauma

• Less frequent stays in Dubé Centre

• Not having their home over run by a gangs

• Gaining weight

• Longer periods between hospital stays

• Having a sense of hope or belonging

Moving Forward• In-house Elders

• Increased access Community Cultural Ceremony and Events

• More time on the land with clients

• Increased Peer, Cultural and Clinical staffing levels

• Increased nutritional programming/ access to food

• Increased new and existing community partnerships

Safe Community Action Alliance & the Crystal Meth Working Group

Nicole Schumacher – Saskatchewan Health Authority

Kayla DeMong – AIDS Saskatoon

January 30, 2020

Background

• Quick background about the SCAA

– 35+ community partners who are committed to working collectively to create action around improvements for community safety and well-being

• Currently working on 2 priorities – housing & crystal meth

• Quick background about the CMWG

– 20+ community partners who come together to specifically talk about how to work collectively to alleviate the crystal meth crisis in Saskatoon

Methods

Community Data

Community Data

Community Data

The Voices of Youth

5 Priority Model & Leadership

Crystal Meth Working Group – the action can be developed, implemented and evaluated within the structure of the working group

Community Safety & Well-Being Partners – the action requires assistance/guidance from the leadership on the community safety and well-being partners team

Collaboration – work is strategically aligned and being managed by partners connected to the SCAA/CMWG

Strategic Actions -Prevention

Strategic Actions -Treatment

Strategic Actions –Harm Reduction

Strategic Actions –Enforcement/Suppression

Strategic Actions –Data Integration

Youth Recommendations

Next Steps

• Public release of document – February 3rd • Developing work plans for strategic actions tasked to the

working group

Scott Burgess

Manager, Little Red Healing Lodge