Meth overdoses trigger warning from Winnipeg police

The 34-year-old man who created a scene on Selkirk Avenue Thursday was high on methamphetamine.Police say a bad batch of the highly addictive drug has hit Winnipeg streets.“Someone like that they are not thinking rationally, they have no idea of what is transpiring, no concern for themselves or anyone around them,” said Const. Eric HofleySince Thursday night five people have gone through Winnipeg emergency departments suffering adverse reactions to meth.No one has died, yet

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“Amphetamines are never safe,” Dr. Alecs Chochinov, the Regional Medical Director of the Emergency Program for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, “There is a constant risk of either contamination by other chemicals and there is also inherent risks in the amphetamines themselves.”Vince May doesn’t remember much from his first hit of meth.“What happened in the five hours when I stopped my van and when they found me I have no idea, but I thought it was pretty cool,” he said.May did the drug four or five times a week for nearly a decade until he saw his friend almost die from it last year“That scared me straight,” said the recovering addict.He is now clean but others wanting treatment have to wait at least two months for help.“When an addict or alcoholic is at the point they have been beaten and they want help, it needs to be that day,” said Robert Graham, who helps people stay sober at 210 Recovery.He’s fighting for more funding but says securing money for addiction treatment is tough.“It needs to be treated as important as any other disease,” he said. “This disease takes lives and ruins families.”