Meth crisis in Manitoba continues to soar

While other regions of Canada are dealing with an opioid crisis, crystal meth has become the drug of choice in Manitoba.

The Addictions Foundation of Manitoba says meth use increased by more than 100 per cent in adults and nearly 50 per cent in youth since 2014.

The province’s chief medical examiner says meth was involved in 35 overdose deaths in 2017, up from 19 the year before.

In contrast, fentanyl was involved in 14 fatal overdoses and carfentanil, was involved in 32.

“We are seeing an unprecedented amount of methamphetamine that has come into our city,” said Insp. Max Waddell with Winnipeg’s organized crime unit.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We are seeing an unprecedented amount of methamphetamine that has come into our city," said Insp. Max Waddell with Winnipeg's organized crime unit.

The drug is appealing because it’s cheap, available, easy to make and it gets people high for significantly longer. It can last 14 hours while cocaine lasts about 45 minutes.

Recently, a Winnipeg police officer was sitting in his patrol car, when a man suspected to be high on meth threw a propane tank through the rear window of the cruiser.

“Methamphetamine makes people very unpredictable and when people are unpredictable that means they are not in control of themselves,” Waddell said. “They become in a state of …psychosis where they are seeing and hearing things that are not real.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Methamphetamine makes people very unpredictable and when people are unpredictable that means they are not in control of themselves," Waddell said. "They become in a state of …psychosis where they are seeing and hearing things that are not real."

Possession charges for meth increased by 890 per cent since 2012, police numbers show.

In 2017, more than 12,000 grams of meth was seized by police. In January 2018 alone, more than 5,800 grams was taken off the streets.

Police are also seeing a significant increase in other crimes associated with methamphetamine.

WATCH: Winnipeg police say the meth crisis is straining resources across the board

1:06 Winnipeg police say the meth crisis is straining resources across the board

Property crime, drug crime and violent crime all increased in 2017.

Marion Willis, who started a transitional house for people struggling with addiction, says there’s a strategy to deal with opioids.

She says that isn’t the case for methamphetamine and more needs to be done.