The increase in methamphetamine on Winnipeg city streets isn’t just surprising to residents.
The drug, which police called a growing concern this summer, is appearing more and more in drug busts across the city and in the form of used needles in Winnipeg alleyways. So much so that a former addict and dealer was shocked.
READ MORE: ‘Methamphetamine has absolutely gripped the city’: Winnipeg police
“It just exploded,” Donald Freese, who did meth for 18 years, said on Friday.
“It got to the point where I couldn’t even sell it anymore because it was everywhere.”
Freese, who has been clean for five months, said the increase is partly due to the addictive nature of meth, which can be used in a number of ways.
“As soon as I started, I was hooked,” Freese said. “When you do meth it heightens your senses, so everything becomes more pleasurable. That’s what gets people hooked. Without it, nothing is pleasurable and you’re stuck in a grey area.”
READ MORE: Winnipeg police seize $250K of meth
Winnipeg police, however, have a different reason why the drug has recently played such a big role in homelessness and property crime.
“It’s cheap and it’s easy to produce,” Cst. Rob Carver said. “We know it’s easy to make, and labs are small and they’re mobile.”
Cst. Carver says police have been noticing people from all walks of life chasing the drug’s high — one that was once reserved for only hardcore users.
He said it’s especially problematic when police are dealing with criminals who are using.
“It tends to fuel a level of violence that we don’t see without meth.”
“They’re attacking people, they’re fighting people, and they’re also fighting with our officers,” Cst. Carver said. “We’ve had to use tasers and intermediate force.”