KILLER ON THE STREET
Addiction worker warns crystal meth ‘the worst thing we have seen’
Calling it a killer street drug and “the worst thing we have seen,” Windsor’s front-line addiction workers are sounding the alarm over the latest — and most destructive — scourge: crystal meth. “If I was a terrorist, I could not come up with this,” said Rodger Fordham of Feeding Windsor, a non-profit group based out of New Song, a small Drouillard Road community church that feeds those in need.
“The damage and tragedies being caused has changed things everywhere, way more than any terrorist attack could.”
Despite its innocent sounding name, crystal meth is laced with a cocktail of industrial-based chemicals that can include those found in paint thinners, batteries, antifreeze and drain cleaners. Smoking it, injecting it or even snorting the highly-addictive street drug can cripple users both physically and mentally. Within weeks, users will experience paranoia, changes in brain structure, speech impairment, skin damage and “meth mouth” — complete decay of tooth enamel and destruction of gums. Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare CEO Janice Kaffer, who has a 30year background in the nursing field, calls crystal meth “the worst thing we have seen” in terms of street drugs in our community. “Crystal meth kills people. It changes their entire life, their physical being, their brain chemistry,” Kaffer said.
“It takes people and turns them into something they would never imagine they could be. It creates desperation and people do unthinkable things to chase the drug.” Fordham, who previously worked over five years as head chef for the Downtown Mission before launching Feeding Windsor, said he has encountered former teachers, Chrysler workers and customs officers who slid quickly into addiction given the power of the drug.
“The drugs which come out each time are more harsh and more brutal,” Fordham said. “Each wave of new drugs and addicts has become steeper. Today you have industrial chemicals mixed together and it becomes a drug.”
Melissa Smith has been on the streets, living day to day for about a year.
Crystal meth locally has been getting “way, way out of whack” for about the last six months, she said while seated mid-afternoon on a Pelissier Street bench. An open duffel bag with a curling iron hanging out sits on the ground beside her.
“It’s everywhere. You can’t get away from it,” Smith said. “It’s not just downtown, but east end, west end, out in the county. No matter what you do, it’s there. It’s getting worse — there is more of it and they’re cutting it with all this crap — (pet) dewormer, fentanyl, anything.”
Smith has “dabbled” in crystal meth, but said she has willpower that others do not.
“Once you start using that, you don’t want to drink, use crack or sniff coke. All those cravings are gone and you only want (crystal meth). It’s dangerous. People are losing their minds. It’s sad. I don’t know how else to say it. It’s killing people.”
She sees no “certain person or group” getting addicted to crystal meth.
“It’s everybody. People who had jobs at Chrysler, casino workers,” she said. “You can’t categorize a certain group. For days, they stay awake. You lose hours, days. You see people talking to themselves, walking around. Their mind is gone. Meanwhile, two years ago, they were normal and carried a full-time job.”
Jelena Payne, the city ’s commissioner of social services, said crystal meth is easily the “most prevalent drug on our streets today ” and causing a multitude of problems for municipal and health services providers.
“It’s absolutely destructive,” she said. “It’s actually more of a crisis than opioids.
“Opioids has gained attention because a single use can lead to immediate death — zero to 100 in one use.”
But the health and personal ramifications for users losing their jobs and homes because of crystal meth use have become “disastrous,” Payne said.
There is “no doubt” crystal meth has become the “predominant choice in this community in terms of drug use, dealers and addictions,” said Const. Andy Drouillard of Windsor police.
Use of crystal meth in the Windsor area noticeably exploded about 18 months ago, creating a situation where the department’s drugs and guns enforcement team spend the majority of time searching for those responsible for producing and distributing the drug, he said.
“It’s obviously become a big problem,” Drouillard said. “We see issues (related to crystal meth) on a daily basis. Also, how it’s spilled over into other crime — more property thefts, break and enters, since those with addictions resort to crime to pay for their habit. “This isn’t just a local problem, but it’s the same throughout the province and the country. It’s cheap, easy to obtain and that’s why it’s become the drug of choice for users.”
The Salvation Army and its emergency shelter is often the first stop for many in Windsor who suddenly find themselves on the street. The help agency’s emergency shelter has 31 beds — 26 of which have funding support from the city.
More than 1,300 people come through the hallways of the downtown building located at 355 Church St. each month, seeking a meal, access to the food bank, support groups or shelter.
It’s become “very frightening” how crystal meth is creating even more mental-health issues for those who show up seeking help at the Salvation Army, said Liz Atkinson, the centre’s emergency shelter manager. Hospitals and local social agencies are “overwhelmed” in trying to deal with addictions to the drug, she said.
“Crack and opioids are so expensive, but (crystal meth) is so cheap,” Atkinson said. “You can spend $10 and get a four-hour high. What many of them don’t understand is how it’s so dangerous. It can be mixed with pipe cleaner, fertilizer, Epsom salts, mothballs. “People are putting this into their bodies and it’s just not meant to be. The damage this is doing to their mental and physical health is scary. They go into psychosis. Someone for a long time can think their socks are a recorder. And the scary part is, we’re finding out a lot of the damage isn’t reversible, or takes years to clear up.” Bruno Limarzi, a retired viceprincipal from Assumption High School, started volunteering last November as a cook with Fordham’s Feeding Windsor group. It’s taught him that nobody in Windsor should be “quick to judge” addicts they may encounter struggling on the streets. “From what I have seen, you or I could be there one day — maybe one prescription away from being in their shoes,” Limarzi said. “People have to be careful not to be so judgmental, and do what you can, where you can.” Supportive housing and more money spent on helping those with addictions or mental-health issues is the only way out of the problem, Fordham said.
“People look at addicts like potholes. Bump, there is another one. It doesn’t become a priority for anyone until it’s your daughter or niece. Then it’s, ‘Why can’t she get help or why is this not more available in the community?’
“If someone asks for help, it’s ‘Go see this psychiatrist or doctor in six weeks.’ You don’t have the capacity to remember lunch, so how can you remember to see a doctor in a couple of months? By then you don’t even have the same address or phone number anymore.” Kaffer agreed with Fordham. She advocates creating a “hub and spoke model” with many more mixed-use community health centres in neighbourhoods across Windsor and Essex County, so those struggling don’t need to enter a hospital or seek out a physician.
“We need (mental-health and addiction workers) to come together in a hub,” Kaffer said. “Some of these places might not even be marked. We have to make it easier for people to get help.” But that takes “more money” and better co-operation among agencies in Windsor to make such health centres a reality, she said. “I’ve been in the business for 40 years and we are always (spending funds on) chasing the drug,” she said.
“You had crack, then opioids. Crystal meth is destroying people, but it will be followed by something else.
“We keep fixing the symptoms and not the problem. The focus needs to be on what drives addictions. Instead, we keep chasing the drug, and here we are.”
Crack and opioids are so expensive, but (crystal meth) is so cheap. You can spend $10 and get a four-hour high.