Drug trafficking problem is on a rise in Canada for the last couple of years. 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.
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.
On Wednesday, December 12th Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister said the province is taking “real actions that are going to help.” “We are taking this issue tremendously seriously and we are focused on it. I accept the fact there is criticism, but it is largely useless,” Pallister said.
Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman has said the province has been moving too slowly on meth and spoke with the House of Commons Health Committee on Tuesday about how the crisis is affecting the city.
Winnipeg Regional Health Authority documents released Tuesday said that “a lack of provincial leadership” was being shown on the issue, but the premier disagrees. Pallister says the province is working with other levels of government as well as other organizations in the community.
“I think what meth users want — and what those who don’t use it want — is co-operative action based on intelligent research and foresight, and that’s what we’re offering Manitobans,” he said. The province recently committed $4.2 million to treatment beds for meth users and announced a new drug protocol in which paramedics will be able to administer olanzapine, an antipsychotic medication given to agitated people on meth. The premier gave no timeline on when any further announcements would take place.
For the last couple of years crime level is on the rise in Canada and Manitoba, the situation demands more manpower and recourses to stop the increase of crime, to prevent new groups and organizations from occurring and committing the crime in Canada.