Niagara has “massive” opioid problem, judge says

A local judge laid the some of blame of Niagara’s growing opioid crisis at the feet of physicians.

“This community, sadly, has a very, very massive opioid dependence and addiction issue,” Judge Fergus O’Donnell said Thursday in an Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines.

“Not a week goes by that I don’t hear from a defence lawyer that one of their clients has died.”

The judge’s comments came after Deidre McMonagle, of Welland, pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of hydromorphone. The 52-year-old wheelchairbound woman, who did not have a criminal record, was placed on probation for two years.

Defence lawyer Mark Evans said his client has “a constellation of medical issues” and abused opiates in an attempt to manage her pain.

Being prescribed opiates such as hydromorphone for pain management, the judge said, can be a “pretty common path to get into addiction” for some people.

That dependence, he added, can lead some users to turn drug trafficking in order to fuel their addiction.

“Doctors in this province may not have been as disciplined as they should be in terms of monitoring their patients,” O’Donnell added.

The judge advised the defendant to look at alternative strategies to handle her pain.

“I hope the shock of this experience helps you to redesign your approach,” he said.

Niagara Regional Police executed a search warrant at McMonagle’s resident on April 6, 2017 after receiving information on possible drug activity.

Police seized 23 hydromorphone pills and more than $700 in cash. The defendant’s legally prescribed medication was also seized by police.