Sask. looks to Australia for crystal meth education as part of broader changes to address 'crisis'
Alicia Bridges | CBC News | Posted: December 4, 2017 12:00 PM | Last Updated: December 5, 2017
Provincial drug task force recommending new treatment approach to crystal meth
Saskatchewan is looking to Australia, which is grappling with a crystal meth crisis, to guide new public education materials being created as part of broader changes to loosen the drug's grip on this province.
A provincial drug task force set up in May is creating new treatment protocols, training and educational materials to improve supports for crystal meth users in Saskatchewan.
The group is also finalizing its recommendations on the best approach to treating meth addictions in Saskatchewan, based on research it has been conducting since May.
To help guide new public education materials being developed for Saskatchewan, co-chair Tracy Muggli said the task force has been communicating with the Australian Cracks in the Ice campaign.
The Australian campaign was set up by a national task force created in that country, where one study suggests there were an estimated 268,000 regular meth users between 2013-2014.
A report by Public Safety Canada estimates the number of meth users in Canada is between about 52,000 and 77,000.
Educating the public
Muggli said the Saskatchewan group has sought permission from the Australian campaign to reference some of its material.
The Saskatchewan task force is creating webinars, an infographic and other materials to help build public awareness and improve support for meth users.
"I expect that we'll probably be utilizing [representatives from the Australian campaign] more going forward and connecting with them to understand how they were able to work on their issue," she said.
The new educational materials will not be part of a "campaign" but rather distributed in a targeted way through the health region and other relevant organizations.
Muggli, who is also the co-chair of the Mental Health and Addiction Services working group on crystal meth in Saskatoon, said it was just one of a number of changes being driven by the task force.
New protocols and treatment approach
Back in May, Muggli spoke to CBC News in detail about measures she felt would help improve treatment amid what she called a crystal meth "crisis" in Saskatchewan, and specifically in Saskatoon.
Some of those measures are being implemented by the new working group, including research to identify the best crystal meth-specific approach to treating addictions.
"Overall I'm pleased that the issue is being recognized, provincially and locally, so that people's attention is being drawn more to it," she said on Friday.
When [crystal meth] is out there, if there are people who are in pain and struggling in life, they're going to use it. - Tracy Muggli, co-chair of Saskatchewan provincial drug task force
"And I think that when you have an awareness that's when you can start to make progress, so we have to kind of bring the issue out of the dark and into the light so people understand it better."
Muggli said the task force will soon be finalizing its recommendations on the best kinds of treatment and what staff training will be required to provide better support for meth users.
It is also creating a new protocol for assisting people suffering from withdrawals.
"Unlike some other issues like opioids, or alcohol [for which] we've got certain kinds of protocols and medications that can help with withdrawal, we were stumped a bit on crystal meth," said Muggli.
New protocols for people in withdrawal
When the protocol is implemented, Muggli said there will be a standardized response that medical staff can use when someone reports crystal meth use or withdrawals in the emergency room.
Muggli also said in May that people coming off crystal meth would benefit from having a separate physical space at the Brief and Social Detox centre in Saskatoon.
That hasn't happened due to limitations with the building, she said, but the centre has since adjusted its model so people coming off the drug can stay for a longer period of time.
She said crystal meth users who seek help at the detox centre often haven't slept for days and sedation is often needed to help them sleep off their extreme exhaustion.
"We've tried to modify how we use our space overall so that we can give folks a longer period of time for rest and recovery, so that we can move into a reasonable stage of discussing if they want to continue in a recovery journey," said Muggli.
Not all hopes to be realized
The Brief and Social Detox Centre is only staffed by paramedics at night and on weekends, so there is no physician on-hand to order medication needed to help a person through withdrawal. For that reason, in the past, they sometimes had to be turned away.
But Muggli said the Saskatoon health region where she is based is trying to eliminate gaps so people who seek help can go straight to the next phase of treatment.
Previously, people who decided to pursue long-term treatment after going through short-term detox had to go back into the community while they waited for a bed at a rehab centre.
Now, she said, the centre is making provisions so people can stay longer.
"So that if somebody does come into detox we can move them into the next phase without saying, you know, 'You've got to come back tomorrow,'" said Muggli.
"Not losing that window of opportunity."
Task force creates optimism
Muggli is optimistic that the planned changes will improve support for people who are addicted to crystal meth, but reducing the number of users overall is more challenging.
"I think some of the root cause factors are sort of outside the scope of what we can necessarily change but will probably continue to plague our systems, in terms of poverty and other events that happen in people's lives that lead them to want to self-medicate and use substances that are harmful," she said.
Although she expects root causes like trauma will continue to be a factor in the number of people using crystal meth, she said the health region can still work to provide better support through therapeutic treatment.
In the meantime, she hopes more can be done to get crystal meth off the street and make it harder to source.
"It's pretty easy to make and supply so, I know that [police are] doing what they can but it's hard to not feel like we need to get more efforts in trying to get it off the streets in general," she said.
"When it's out there, if there are people who are in pain and struggling in life, they're going to use it, because first of all, it's cheaper than some of the other drugs that are out there and it's very accessible."