Drug trafficking problem is on a rise in Canada for the last couple of years. Winnipeg authorities started a full-scale investigation into city`s meth problem. As per Winnipeg Police, there is a spike in meth-related crime incidents, like property theft, residential break-ins, unreasonable anger towards each other (meth users) and other people around them, violent attacks, some ending up in lethal outcomes for victims, lately there were three deadly beatings in just three days in the city, one of the incidents is already connected to meth use, two other cases are still under investigation.
Opioid use continues to be a public-health crisis with just under 4,000 deaths across Canada in 2017 and over 3,000 in 2016. Methamphetamine or crystal meth is being blamed as the driving force behind Saskatoon's high crime rates.
Methamphetamine is a real problem in Canada, the majority of people involved are youth and older teenagers. There is a study conducted by Winnipeg Police department about how people on meth are no longer productive, so they have to find other ways to get money to fuel their addiction and get more drugs. People on meth turn to pity theft and other, more serious crimes. Bike theft, residential break-ins, garage theft is now a rising problem in the city. Just recently there were a number of bike thefts, most of them were arrested later by Winnipeg Police and incidents linked to meth usage.
Police officers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta say they’re worried about crystal meth as a narcotic of choice. Officers said a tenth of a gram of meth costs $5 to $10 while a single hit of fentanyl can run anywhere from $40 to $60. Edmonton police have also seen a dramatic rise in meth use. Seizures of the drug surged to 33,112 grams in 2017 from 9,017 grams in 2013. Just under 30,000 grams has been seized so far this year, in 2018. Numbers from Winnipeg’s health authority show there has been a 1,200 percent rise in people going to hospitals because of methamphetamine — 218 meth-related visits in April 2018 from 12 in April 2013.
September 26th Winnipeg Police Chief Danny Smyth spoke about the struggle with meth in the city at an information session. The session took place at the Gonzaga Middle School in North Point Douglas, there were about 75 people present. Some were there just to listen and get some information. Others were present because they have somebody in their family or among their friends battling a meth addiction or dealing with a stress after a meth-related incident of a psychological trauma.
Jenna Werch from the Aboriginal Youth Opportunities was speaking about the real threat of methamphetamine addiction of teenagers and how it affects not only their actions today but also their lives in the future. Due to criminal records in the past, some young people, even after they overcome the addiction, trying to come back to normal life, will get problems with further education or trying to get a job, most of the employers will check criminal record and most likely will refuse to hire a meth junkie or a criminal
City authorities putting a lot of effort and pretty large funding dedicated to study and overcome Winnipeg`s meth problem.