Steel Town Down: Overdose Crisis in the Soo.

Chako · **on:** February 12, 2018, 06:32:43 AM

I just finished watching a documentary that I didn't know exist until an hour ago. I was perusing a local news website when I came across this statement from the Mayor...

https://saultonline.com/2018/02/mayor-issues-statement-in-response-to-documentary-steel-town-down/

This lead me to the recently created and aired documentary.

https://video.vice.com/en_ca/video/steel-town-down-overdose-crisis-in-the-soo/5a7cb3b7f1cdb3556e6b6be1

Drugs are a big deal in my city. I was happy in a weird way that there was finally a documentary about this. The local papers have ran news tidbits about the overdose crisis in the Sault. In fact, most crimes are about drugs and their users..including most murders that occur here. What really struck home for me, is the young guy is a former student of mine.

I thought I would post this as it hit close to home for me (I may have taught another person in this documentary...currently racking my brains before heading to the old yearbooks)...and even though it doesn't show the beauty of the city, it does show the dark underbelly of it. A part of the city that many choose to not see, let alone acknowledge. It isn't my world...but it did allow me to see a valuable glimpse into the struggles of drug addiction in my city..

Chako · **Reply #1 on:** February 12, 2018, 06:40:29 AM

Just found this explanation from VICE.

https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/bj5nwz/why-we-partnered-with-ctv-to-make-a-documentary-about-the-opioid-crisis

zoidberg · **Reply #2 on:** February 12, 2018, 07:46:34 AM

Thanks for sharing Chako. We have a similar issue over here. We all deal as best we can.

Aloha · **Reply #3 on:** February 12, 2018, 04:41:46 PM

The Opioid addicted seem to be everywhere. With concentrations in places one might not expect. Living in a large city and hearing about it since the 90s, I am sadly not surprised how vast a problem it is now. From prescription to street level drugs this seems to be a a replay of the 50/60/70s. In those days it was heroine vs prescription drugs we mostly see now. I heard from a young man addicted to Opioids that he started with Oxycodone and when it became harder to get ( expense ) he switched to heroine. I'm not sure these younger people understand how addictive this drug is. They take a few pills and get high thinking nothing of it. It might be the stigma of using a needle vs popping a few pills makes it easier to take. Unfortunately the consequences are about the same.

SteveC · **Reply #4 on:** February 12, 2018, 10:16:06 PM

It's a real problem around here as well, I think it's rampant everywhere.

ToolJoe · **Reply #5 on:** February 14, 2018, 05:15:34 AM

In the city of Philadelphia, there is a push to open a controlled center where people can do drugs and there would be medical staff on hand in case something happens. 1200 people were lost due to overdoses in the city last year alone.

ThePeacent · **Reply #6 on:** February 14, 2018, 03:18:31 PM

the Newspaper today here carries the title "Opioid consumption ninefolds in the last decade in Catalonia"
it seems like a growing epidemic here, which I was unaware of TBH,

I knew about the problem in other countries and cities but never caught up on its situation here