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By Susan McNeil

Overdose deaths

Nature of street drugs in Prince Albert has changed, health workers say

Jan 10, 2024 | 5:00 PM

Last year was a record year in Saskatchewan, with 484 people dead from suspected and confirmed cases of overdosing on street drugs.

In Prince Albert, while users are much more prone to consuming meth, it is frequently mixed with an opioid, said Cam Friesen, manager of mental health and addictions community at Access Place.

“I don’t know if there’s an increase in use, I think there’s more so a change in what is being used. Crystal meth in the substance (use) tends to be the high end. Unfortunately, it’s being mixed with other things that have been undetected, or are just starting to be detected,” he said.

Almost every overdose death in Saskatchewan was linked to an opioid of some description with fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl and Parafluorofentanyl being the vast majority.

When mental health workers are trying to help users or addicts, not knowing what they have been using makes the situation more challenging and behaviour can become unpredictable.

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“It does create some problems with addiction because it’s hard to determine what the actual substances they are using. It increases some of the side effects,” Friesen explained.

An increasing sight in the city are overt signs of mental illness, with people talking or yelling to someone who is not there.

Substance abuse and other mental health issues are frequently linked together, and the drug can exacerbate another issue.

There are ways for the public to handle it if they see someone in obvious mental distress.

“The best way to approach anybody is don’t confront them or don’t challenge them. Let them be who they’re going to be at that moment because eventually that behaviour does subside,” Friesen said.

Family members or other people who are close to users and are worried can help by advising the user on how to find some of the treatment options that are already in place, such as the services at Access Place.

“Whether it’s hallucinations or hearing voices or anything like that and if they are a substance user, more than likely it’s attached to each other, so we have to treat them both and we have to treat them at the same time,” Friesen said.

People can also carry naloxone kits, which are available for free at various locations, including Access Place and some City of Prince Albert departments.

Test strips to check drugs before using them are only available through Friesen’s office and when used will let the tester know if fentanyl or benzodiazepines are present.

What Friesen does not advise is shunning people who are struggling with addictions or other mental health concerns.

“We look at this like any addiction – it’s a disease. So, if we had someone that had cancer and they were struggling, we would treat them, so we want to treat the (user) the same way.”

People who choose to use meth or any other substance are advised to not do it alone, to try a very small amount to gauge their reaction and have a naloxone kit nearby.

Overdoses by the numbers

Of the 233 confirmed accidental overdose deaths in Saskatchewan in 2023, 77 were female and 156 were male.

Of the females; 25 were Caucasian, 42 were First Nations, two were black, four were Métis and four had unknown origins.

Of the 233 males; 63 were Caucasian, 75 were First Nations, two were Asian, one person was black, three were Métis and 12 people were not classified.

The Saskatchewan Coroner’s Service, which tracks the deaths, said that methamphetamine was found in 187 of the deaths and of those, 22 were due solely to meth.

Along with the accidental overdoses, another 12 people used drugs to commit suicide.

Although not included in the Coroner’s data, Prince Albert does have a lot of cocaine users as well and tests of the city’s wastewater have come back with the highest levels of meth and cocaine in Canada.

Confirmed overdose deaths by age:

Ages 10 – 19 = nine

Ages 20 – 29 = 43

Ages 30 – 39 = 83

Ages 40 – 49 = 53

Ages 50 – 59 = 32

Ages 60 – 69 = 11

In their 70s = two

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com