Sask. expands intensive court program that helps people address substance use

The latest numbers from the Saskatchewan Coro‐ ners Service show it could be another grim - poten‐ tially record-setting - year for drug toxicity deaths in the province.

There were 143 suspected drug-related deaths recorded between January and April of this year. One of those has been confirmed to be a sui‐ cide, 45 were accidental and the rest are still under inves‐ tigation.

The total number of acci‐ dental drug related deaths reported annually in Saskatchewan jumped dra‐ matically in 2020 and has re‐ mained high since.

Last year, 465 people are suspected to have died be‐ cause of drug use. The ma‐ jority of the deaths were con‐ sidered accidental and many are still under investigation.

"I think that speaks to the drugs that we're dealing with in our communities across Saskatchewan and across the nation. They are nothing short of poison. They're ad‐ dictive and more addictive than they've ever been," said Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe on Thursday.

Moe said his government is addressing this crisis by fo‐ cusing on expanding access to addictions treatment beds as well as supporting police enforcement to try to limit the flow of drugs.

Moe was speaking North Battleford to in an‐ nounce that the government is expanding its Drug Treat‐ ment Court to the city. The therapeutic court model is offered as an option for some people who are charged with crimes related to their drug use or addic‐ tions. If they choose to par‐ take, they can get a reduced sentence in exchange for their participation in inten‐ sive programming and guilty pleas.

The goal is to help people target the root cause of their substance use, while keeping them away from drugs and the justice system.

"About one-third of the folks that go through the pro‐ gram actually do graduate," Moe said.

He noted that might seem like a low number, but said "in this space of recovery and drug rehabilitation - that's an incredible number."

Regina and Moose Jaw's programs, which began in 2006 and 2009, have seen 140 graduates to date.

There's strong evidence that shows programs like this are effective in helping peo‐ ple move forward from their

substance use, said Dr. Peter Butt, a retired physician and clinical associate professor who has expertise in addic‐ tions medicine. However, he cautioned that the expansion of the program also requires the expansion of other ser‐ vices.

"You can't have a drug court without increasing the access to services. The cur‐ rent system is overloaded but doesn't have a great ca‐ pacity," he said.

"It's no different than a mental health court - when we don't have psychiatrists for people to be seen, the court can say and do what‐ ever they want, but if people can't access the services, it's not going to have an impact."

The court program takes about one year and involves counselling and education, and requires ongoing proof of treatment and abstinence from drugs and crime. It is al‐ so supposed to connect peo‐ ple with supports related to employment, school and family related matters.

Butt said the program ex‐ pansion won't have an imme‐ diate effect on the province's high overdose numbers, but he's hopeful it leads to the expansion or strengthening of other support services re‐ quired to make the program successful.

A more robust system to help people tackle their ad‐ dictions and reduce harm can target those numbers, he said.

Butt said it can take mon‐ ths or years for people to work through their addic‐ tions. He said all people deal‐ ing with addictions should be met with a variety of care and treatment options be‐ cause there's not a one-sizefits-all model.

He's concerned by what appears to be a growing po‐ larization around harm re‐ duction services versus treat‐ ment when it comes to addic‐ tions, and said that's not con‐ ducive to the primary goal, which is to help people.

"We need a continuum of care.There's no magic bullet anywhere in that continu‐ um."