Meth levels in wastewater highlight ‘devastating’ problem in Prairies, according to experts

Methamphetamine levels found in Prince Albert’s wastewater are significantly higher than other major cities in Canada according to Statistics Canada. The traces can be reflective of many different factors according to experts.

Statistics Canada data from December 2022 showed that Prince Albert’s wastewater measured 2,406.44 milligrams of methamphetamine per 100 people per day, over six times the weighted average of the other measured major cities. In comparison, Ontario’s wastewater data from the same time period showed 218.06 milligrams of methamphetamine per 100 people per day.

Methamphetamine use is common in the region because of its low costs, high addiction potential, long-lasting high and easy access, said Barb Fornssler, PhD Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Saskatchewan.

“Meth is preferable here because it has a very low price point,” says Fornssler.

While the numbers appear significantly higher than other cities, wastewater testing is not a perfect representation of actual drug use among residents as there are too many variables. One example would be the method of ingestion changing the concentration found in the wastewater, says Fornssler.

“If you’re injecting substances versus smoking substances, the metabolite concentration in your system would change the wastewater concentration would change, which to me would help me make more sense of what’s happening in say, Prince Albert and Saskatoon because we tend to have a lot of injection drug use,” she says.

Dr. Peter Butt, a clinical associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, has worked as a consultant in addiction medicine for 24 years. He describes methamphetamine use in the prairies as “devastating”.

“It’s rampant, and that’s true across the prairies,” says Dr. Butt. “There’s been a significant rise over the last, let’s say, eight years or so, 8-10 years. Significant rise, and it’s quite devastating.”

The core of the issue the Prairie province faces comes from social issues that have led the community to turn to stimulants for relief.

“A lot of our meth problem, I think, is driven by other social issues that are not being properly addressed,” says Fornssler.

Fornssler explains that, in the winter, stimulants are sometimes used by individuals to stay awake and moving all night, in order to avoid freezing to death. This could explain the peak seen nationally in December. If there were more resources in the prairies for the homeless community these numbers may look different.

“I definitely think there’s also those social drivers basically where folks aren’t necessarily able to access housing and good employment conditions,” said Fornssler. “Prince Albert also serves as sort of, how do I put it, a gateway to the north of the province.”

Prince Albert is the biggest city in northern Saskatchewan, so the city is considered to be a meeting place for residents heading further north. The high wastewater numbers could also be reflective of people traveling south to Prince Albert to participate in the drug trade, not people actually residing in the city.

“In larger cities there is potentially more choice, more competition among dealers,” says Dr. Martin Bouchard, Professor of Criminology at Simon Fraser University, who specializes in gang-related activities, organized crime, and drugs. “Specific substances may emerge there too, but these higher levels won’t be perceived as ‘unusual’ like the ones that were reported in that Statscan report you mention.”

According to the Saskatchewan Health Authority people who use methamphetamine will binge then crash out. Long term use can lead to paranoia, hallucinations and delusions.

“This province when compared with other areas of Canada. And that’s for a whole host of reasons around harm reduction not being well supported and a lack of substance use education happening through various harm reducing agencies because their resources are so limited, they’re often in emergency response mode and that kind of stuff,” says Fornssler.

Saskatchewan is still navigating this evolving method of testing to determine what it means and how it may help the community affected by meth in the prairies.

According to Chief of Police Patrick Noiger, there’s no denying methamphetamine is present in Saskatchewan but he said that the wastewater numbers “may not be a fair representation of what’s actually going on in our community.”

Methamphetamine use has an ongoing effect on people and the community in Saskatchewan. Many communities clearly aren’t getting the support they need.

Meth levels in wastewater highlight ‘devastating’ problem in Prairies, according to experts

STORY BY: MABEL WILLIAMS

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