‘No such thing as safe meth or crack use’: Alberta premier decries safe drug use pamphlets issued at school fair
Posted December 17, 2023 11:55 am.
Last Updated December 17, 2023 12:04 pm.
Pamphlets that offer a how-to on the safe use of methamphetamines and crack cocaine are not sitting well with Alberta’s premier.
The pamphlets were offered to teens by Safelink Alberta during a wellness fair at Medicine Hat High School in early December, according to a Chat TV report.
“Safer Crystal Meth Smoking,” “Safe Crack Smoking,” and “Safer Snorting,” were the pamphlets in question, which outline ways to consume safely, while also noting symptoms and negative effects on the body.
Safelink Alberta is a harm reduction agency, and the pamphlets use photos to demonstrate how to prepare a meth pipe and includes a list of tips for safer crystal meth use.
The pamphlets were removed about an hour into the fair.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith took to X, saying there is no such thing as safe meth or crack use.
“There is no such thing as safe meth or crack use,” her post reads.
“We will be reviewing funding agreements with the organization who felt it was appropriate to teach Medicine Hat teenagers how to use illicit and deadly drugs.”
Her post received several comments and quote posts from those who advocate for harm reduction and regulation of drug supply.
Actually, harm reduction saves lives.
— Euan Thomson (@elsthomson) December 16, 2023
1. Identify harms to youth (e.g. unprotected sex, lack of education).
2. Meet them where they're at (e.g. condom dispensing, sex ed).
3. Measure outcomes (e.g. teen pregnancy & STI rates).
It's good policy. What's your solution?
“Actually, harm reduction saves lives,” said Euan Thompson, a harm reduction advocate who is part of the leadership team with EACH+EVERY: Businesses for Harm Reduction, a voluntary collective for harm reduction.
“1. Identify harms to youth (e.g. unprotected sex, lack of education). 2. Meet them where they’re at (e.g. condom dispensing, sex ed).3. Measure outcomes (e.g. teen pregnancy & STI rates). It’s good policy. What’s your solution?”
Moms Stop the Harm also reposted Smith’s post, saying, “From parents who have buried their children because of unregulated drugs @ABDanielleSmith. Knowledge is power and harm reduction saves lives.”
With over 5,000 likes, around 1,500 quote posts, and over 800 comments as of Sunday morning, many comments also supported the premier and expressed their feelings against the pamphlets.
“Bravo Premier, bravo. It is about time a political leader started looking at education with a critical eye not a politically correct one,” reads a post from Leo Knight.
We're gonna need that money back actually. Thanks
— FamousonX (@FamousonX92346) December 16, 2023
“We’re gonna need that money back actually. Thanks,” another post on X reads.
The latest United Conservative Party convention saw numerous resolutions passed, which included ending provincial funding of supervised drug consumption sites.
Related Stories:
-
Alberta and Calgary officials trade blows over safety and supervised consumption sites
-
‘Same thing over and over again’: Calgary groups call for funding, action to tackle opioid-related issues
-
UCP AGM resolutions targeting healthcare, safe consumption, and parental rights prompt responses from experts, opposition
The province released a report in 2020 examining the socio-economic impacts of existing and proposed safe consumption sites (SCS), and called them a “system of chaos,” noting eight areas of concern, including public safety, general social disorder, worries about access to treatment, and concerns with site operation.
The report has been used to justify the closure of two SCSs in the province.
However, a research study from the University of Calgary calls the report “pseudo-science,” and says it “failed to meet basic methodological criteria for credible research and evaluation, and contained serious flaws that critically undermined its conclusions.”
It states the report has confirmation bias, measurement bias, outcome reporting bias, and a “lack of peer review.”
Related Stories
-
Alberta government report on safe consumption ‘pseudo-science,’ says medical journal
-
‘There will… be injection sites’: gov’t looking at new ways to support people struggling with addiction
-
Several turn out for protest opposing supervised consumption site closure
According to data from the Government of Alberta, substance use deaths have gone up by around 70 per cent since the United Conservative Party was elected in 2019.
Numbers for overdose deaths jumped from 800 in 2019 to 1,400 in 2020 and it continues to hover around that mark in 2023, which sits at 1,500, a drop from 1,700 in 2022 and 1,900 in 2021.
The province has seen an increase in methamphetamine deaths over the years, with a reported 158 deaths in 2016 rising to 406 in 2023. The 2023 numbers are a drop from 1,000 in 2021 and nearly 800 in 2022.
The south zone, which includes Medicine Hat, has seen 27 methamphetamine deaths this year, a decrease from 67 in 2022. 2016 saw nine deaths.
CityNews has reached out to Safelink Alberta and the Medicine Hat School Division for comment.
-With files from Dione Wearmouth
