Quote:
Originally Posted by Jets4Life
Incorrect.
These facilities deal with all addiction issues. I don't believe you know much about the current substance abuse epidemics in Western Canada. If you believe benzodiazpines are the "real" problems, and opiates are not, then you do not have a clue what you are talking about.
Benzodiazepines: Use and abuse of these medications has been decreasing since the 80s. Prescriptions for benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax, etc) peaked in the late 70s, and has been dropping since. Doctors are phasing them out. There is no credible evidence to suggest this is an epidemic in Manitoba. Unless you have a source that can disprove this, I have a feeling you are misled.
Meth: There is a meth crisis in all Western Canadian provinces. However, treatment for meth is no different than treatment for crack cocaine (epidemic started in mid 90s in Winnipeg). It is foolish to believe the BORC is not equipped to deal with meth addicts.
Opiates: Opiates are indeed a crisis in Western Canada. Do you have any idea how many people are dying of drug overdoses, especially from fentanyl in BC and Alberta? It's a nation wide crisis. Opiates, not meth, cause more social harm per user. Benzodiazepines are relatively far down the list in terms of causing social harm. I am not sure where you are getting your information from, but suggesting benzodiazepines are a bigger problem than opiate is absurd:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/opioi...2017-1.4455518
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I work on the frontline. Centres like the Oake Centre and Aurora aren't equipped to handle the mental health concerns, cognitive difficulties and violence that comes with a significant population of those who need treatment in Manitoba.
Alcohol will always be #1 and we are pretty good at treating that issue when people are ready for help. That's bread and butter.
What we are seeing now is extreme behaviour and psychosis related to trauma and untreated mental health conditions. These are significantly worsened by meth use. These centres aren't equipped for that. Read their plan. They don't have professional staff. It's very straight ahead addiction treatment. That doesn't fit the issue here, but it will fit for some and there is value in it. I have significant doubts that they will allow a lot of the people I work with who are court/CFS mandated into treatment. They will be a great option for people who can afford it, but won't be dealing with the same clientele that the government typically pays for. Ideally we'd start working towards treatment which is less AOD focused and more focused on the needs of the clients, which is more trauma-informed and focused on the whole person, meeting needs around mental health and addiction.
Western Canada =/= Manitoba
And we don't have good stats because AFM is being cut to the bone and there literally isn't staff to collect good data. Looking at stats from data gathered in 2015 has no meaning today. Lumping Manitoba and Saskatchewan in with Alberta and BC is useless.
I can tell you where I work for the last 18 months meth use is almost universal and that when the data was gathered for your chart crack would have been huge, it was here about 3-5 years ago. It was the most accessible street drug, and the cheapest longest lasting high. Meth has replaced it. Benzos are a huge street drug in rural Manitoba, but these aren't pills that a doctor has prescribed, most of them are counterfeit and irregular doses. Mixed with alcohol these are killing people.