site opened, we’ve had around
900 people who have had medical
emergencies including overdoses, and
we have successfully managed all of
In other words, no one has died.
Elsewhere in the province, however,
that hasn’t always been the case. In 2011,
six people died from overdoses. Now, it’s
more than two people a day. Last year,
733 people died from unintended opioid
overdoses in Alberta. But the statistics
are not just about the deaths. In first
eight months it was open, the supervised
consumption site in downtown
Lethbridge was used more than 90,000
Numbers this high can only lead one
to wonder about the actual scope of the
drug crisis, in Lethbridge and across
the province. How many people are
affected? Who are they? And why are
Opioids—Drugs used to relieve pain. Forms include carfentanil, codeine,
fentanyl, heroin, hydromorphone, methadone, morphine and oxycodone.
Fentanyl—A strong, odourless and tasteless synthetic opioid about
100 times stronger than morphine. Pharmaceutical fentanyl is typically
prescribed to control severe pain. Illegal fentanyl is sold as pills, patches or
powder, or mixed into other drugs such as cocaine and crystal meth. Most
accidental opioid overdose deaths are caused by fentanyl.
Crystal methamphetamine—Also known as meth, crystal meth, ice, speed
and crank, methamphetamine can be smoked, injected or inhaled. Negative
effects include decreased appetite, uncontrolled body movements, itching,
delusional thoughts, psychosis, impulsive decision-making, and the risk of
seizure, heart attack and stroke.
toilet cubicle, and two inhalation rooms.
Each inhalation room has a door with a
window, so that everything happening
inside is visible. A nurse’s station is in
the middle of the room. There are at
least two staff on hand. One is always a
The site opened in February 2018 as a
way to reduce overdose deaths, disease
transmission, public drug use and
inappropriately discarded drug gear,
as well as to increase the uptake into
It is for people using drugs, including
depressants (the opioid family, which
includes fentanyl, carfentanil, heroin
and methadone) and stimulants (such as
cocaine and meth). People take the drugs
four ways: injecting, snorting, inhaling or
On that fall afternoon, most booths
were occupied. Once a person has
finished using, they exit their cubicle
and are encouraged to hang out in the
observation room for about half an hour.
Most overdoses take place within 10
minutes of using, so this allows medical
staff time to intervene. The overall
environment is clean and sanitary, almost
like a hospital emergency department.
“The supervised consumption
services are one part of harm reduction.
We’re recognizing that people are
already engaging in high-risk
behaviours. It aims to reduce their
potential for harm,” ARCHES health
coordinator Graham Black said.
“We meet people where they are at
in their current usage and, then, when
they are ready, we connect them to other
services like detox or finding housing.”
Sometimes interventions (such as
immediate medical procedures like
administering oxygen or naloxone) are
even more direct.
“Since the supervised consumption
I’m just trying to get
back on my feet.
Every day I try
they using drugs?
Lethbridge has individual
characteristics that make the city,
and its current addiction scenarios,
unique, such as its close ties to rural
communities and the bordering Kainai
Nation (Blood Tribe).
But the reality, said Trevor Inaba,
the executive director of Addiction
and Mental Health for Alberta Health
Services’ South Zone, is that the drug
issue affects everyone.
Whether due to adverse experiences,
or an injury we are having trouble
recovering from, or chronic pain or
poverty, the truth is that anyone is
vulnerable. The strength and lethality
of opioids is new, but the underlying
reality of addiction—to drugs, alcohol,
you name it—is not. “Addiction knows
no boundaries,” said Inaba. “I don’t
think there’s a typical profile of a user. I
think we’re all susceptible at one point
in time or another.”
The current opioid issue crosses
the demographic spectrum: seniors,
teenagers, middle-class working people,
athletes who’ve suffered a sports injury,
crash victims. It’s not caused by just one
thing, either. It is the intersection of