Say Know Podcast

This bonus episode is released one week after cannabis legalization in Canada. Matt sat down with self proclaimed cannabis connoisseur, James. They touched on several cannabis topics from medicinal access, whether or not the illicit market will remain and how cannabis was used to assist James with his opiate dependence.

Matt also gave a brief overview of some of the new laws.

Find out more on the Say Know Podcast website.

Retired Chief of the Saskatoon Police Service, Clive Weighill, sat down to chat with Matt.

Clive has been involved in the justice system for over 40 years, and was the President of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police for 11 years of those years. He is currently the Chief Coroner in Saskatchewan and genuinely cares for people he serves.

He has devoted his life to public service and has knowledge, insight and wisdom that makes him a great leader. He has worked hard to make positive changes to the relationship between police and the community.

In this episode, Clive discussed his understanding on a number of topics; from meth and crime, to cannabis legalization and roadside checks, to building trust with Police and communities. He has empathy and wisdom and is one of Canada's most respected leaders.

HIGHLIGHTS:

QUOTES:

“ When I grew up I hated the Police. There was no way that I thought I was ever gonna be a Police Officer.”

“ People that are addicted to alcohol – putting them in a jail cell; is not the way to deal with someone who has an addiction.”

“ We need more money spent on social infrastructure.”

“ Police are more aware nowadays that people are are products of their environments.”

“ We can’t arrest our way out of these situations. If we don’t have supports in place for people who go to jail, when they get out they're gonna go right back to the same things. “

“You have to have trust in the community to be successful as a police service. To get trust you have to work with the community.”

“We need people that can feel comfortable talking to the police, listening to what we have to say,understanding our role in the community, which is only one role in the justice system. Trust is really the big factor here. “

LINKS:

Find out more on the Say Know Podcast website.

Summer Break!

Thanks for all the support!

Matt Kaminsky is a former fentanyl and oxycontin user. Despite having had a loving childhood, he was nevertheless drawn toward drug usage to self-medicate his personal issues and was shocked to see how his lifestyle and support system suddenly suddenly and drastically changed. Since getting clean, Matt has learned the benefits of having friends who say “no” to him and now ponders how the world could be different if access to recreational drugs was legal and more safely regulated.

In this episode, Matt discusses how drug addiction affects one’s daily routine and needs, the economic effect of the drug trade on housing, and the difference between healthy and toxic support systems.

HIGHLIGHTS:

-Matt relates his supportive childhood and how he gradually and insidiously slipped into drug usage and addiction during high school.

-How he never realized that he was using fentanyl until it was too late.

-Noticing how the effects and routine of drug use changed as Matt become more addicted.

-Describing fentanyl’s high-impact effects and why its high is alluring to chase.

-What is “dope sick” and how did it feel for Matt to go through it?

-How Matt has used methadone to taper off his drug use.

-What steps did Matt take to end his using lifestyle and get clean? And exploring why the recovery process can be the most vulnerable stage.

-What a day in Matt’s life during his fentanyl addiction was like, including being dope-sick at this grandfather’s funeral.

-How addiction can breed an unhealthy support system among friends.

-The way addiction can impair a user’s belief that they can make important choices.

-The difficulty Matt faced in trying to leave the drug trade, including a scary experience with two strangers coming to collect.

-Matt delves into the personal difficulties that may have led him to self-medicate with drugs.

-Exploring how the drug trade has significantly impacted real estate prices throughout the province.

-Looking at how societal dynamics might change in a world where drugs are legalized and safely regulated.

QUOTES:

“Nobody feels like they’re going to be addicted to anything.”

“You would do one pill and almost feel normal again.”

“You almost wanna scratch yourself out of your own skin.”

“Either you’re gonna start living your life or you might as well die, really, cuz you’re just wasting it.”

“All it takes is a mistake to become addicted to something. There aren’t people that go out there and maliciously do drugs and stay addicted and want to be addicted.”

“Sometimes that support system’s also gotta remember that they got to struggle through it too.”

“Share your knowledge, because if we all share our own knowledge, our own stories about [addiction], then we’ll find better ways to combat it.”

LINKS:

Canadian Research Initiative of Substance Misuse (CRISM) Prairies website - https://crismprairies.ca/

SayKnow.org Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/sayknoworg

SayKnow.org Twitter feed - https://twitter.com/SayKnowOrg

Music provided by Redbull DJ Champ, Charly Hustle - http://www.charlyhustlemusic.com

Find out more on the Say Know Podcast website.

Find out more on the Say Know Podcast website.

Tina Thebeau works with Matt at Say Know as a blogger (you can hear her in our introductory episode, 00). A recovered long-term cocaine user and survivor of an abusive upbringing, she has found strength within herself to heal others and urges users to find newer, healthier ways of coping with past trauma.

In this episode, Tina discusses living with the effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), growing up in multiple abusive and unhealthy foster homes, and stepping back from the edge just as she was about to fall over.

HIGHLIGHTS:

-Tina describes her early life experiences with FAS, being adopted by a dysfunctional family, and finding a healthy foster home.

-How a decision by Social Services prevented Tina from growing up with her loving foster family.

-Dealing with violent and vengeful thoughts at a young age.

-Tracking the development of Tina’s drug usage and addiction and discussing how drug abstinence programs have an unintended opposite effect.

-“Using dreams” and the ever-present fear of relapse while clean.

-How a mentor pulled through for Tina at the most pivotal point in her addiction.

-Finding continuing strength and motivation through faith and spirituality.

QUOTES:

“Slowly, slowly, they gained my trust, and I fell madly in love with these people and I wanted to be with these people forever and ever and ever.”

“I remember making a choice and a promise to myself that I was never, ever, ever gonna be like her. That I didn’t want to be that hateful and that crue and that bitter.”

“You wanna know what’s wrong? Everything is so good, and usually when shit is so good, some shit hits the fan.”

“I didn’t want to give up. I just needed someone to believe in me.”

“I didn’t go through everything I went through to be a drug addict and die in a gutter. That wasn’t what my life was for.”

“If we could see ourselves the way other people saw us, I think we would be blown away.”

LINKS:

Tina’s author page at Say Know - https://www.sayknow.org/blog/?author=57d70b0f414fb55c4f3be3e7

Official Say Know homepage - http://www.sayknow.org/

Canadian Research Initiative of Substance Misuse (CRISM) Prairies website - https://crismprairies.ca/

SayKnow.org Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/sayknoworg

SayKnow.org Twitter feed - https://twitter.com/SayKnowOrg

Music provided by Redbull DJ Champ, Charly Hustle - http://www.charlyhustlemusic.com

Find out more on the Say Know Podcast website.

SHOW NOTES:

Christina Hrudka is the vice-chair of the Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA), which advocates for and represents the profession of pharmacy throughout Canada. A pharmacy owner herself, Christina is deeply concerned by the opioid crisis and the role pharmacists may have to play in finding a solution to this epidemic.

In this episode, Christina discusses how she feels pharmacists’ responsibilities should change, the potential benefits of legalized drug distribution, and the difficulty of breaking the cycle of addiction.

HIGHLIGHTS:

-Christina outlines the CPhA’s structure, responsibilities, and current involvement in the opioid crisis.

-Theorizing why the opioid crisis became epidemic in the last several years.

-The CPhA’s push for “prescriptive authority” and why Christina believes pharmacists should be able to adjust dosage.

-Exploring the Pharmaceutical Information Program (PIP), Saskatchewan’s unique drug prescription database.

-Why the opioid crisis and its victims were overlooked for so long in Canada.

-The argument for providing addicts with medical-grade heroin and how medical marijuana may play a helpful role.

-Discussing Suboxone and other methods of breaking the addictive cycle.

-Addressing the current issues with medical marijuana distribution and plans for marijuana research through dispensation.

-The dilemma of wanting to treat a patient’s pain while not risking setting them down the path to addiction.

-How the CPhA and other organizations are tackling the methamphetamine epidemic as well.

QUOTES:

“Most of our issues have come from overprescribing for a long time.”

“We really, truly did not realize, as a healthcare profession, how addictive these products really were.”

“We are the last stop of that prescription before it goes out.”

“At the end of the day, there’s no reason we need to prescribe the quantities that we were.”

“These people need help. We need to treat them like real people.”

“Unless people’s core reason for being there and needing those drugs is addressed, the cycle will continue.”

“The current addict is a real person, and we can’t ignore them because they’re affecting everybody’s lives. It’s all of our problem.”

LINKS:

Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) website - https://www.pharmacists.ca

Pharmaceutical Information Program (PIP) website - https://www.ehealthsask.ca/services/pip

Official Say Know homepage - http://www.sayknow.org/

Canadian Research Initiative of Substance Misuse (CRISM) Prairies website - https://crismprairies.ca/

SayKnow.org Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/sayknoworg

SayKnow.org Twitter feed - https://twitter.com/SayKnowOrg

Music provided by Redbull DJ Champ, Charly Hustle - http://www.charlyhustlemusic.com

Find out more on the Say Know Podcast website.

Darlene Chalmers and Colleen Dell work with therapy dogs through St. John's Ambulance and manage the therapy animal program Pawsitive Support based out of Drumheller, Alberta. On the side, they also use their animals to assist recovering military veterans. Through Pawsitive support, Darlene and Colleen work with convicted criminals and aim to encourage kinder and more empathetic behaviour in their clients by forging animal connections.

In this episode, Darlene and Colleen discuss establishing constructive relationships between clients and their animals, how interacting with these animals can affect criminal behaviour for the better, what dogs can offer that humans can't, and the role they may play in curbing addictive habits.

HIGHLIGHTS:

-Darlene and Colleen explain how their programs tailored to each animal and client.

QUOTES:

"When you look at the dogs in these situations, they are about as happy as happy can be."

"We open the heart just a little bit and now the service provider can do what they need to do because that space has been created."

"There's a lot of learning about dog behaviour and dog psychology and I think that forces them to think outside themselves."

"What are you needing now that's gonna help you get where you want to be?"

"How can we recognize animals as part of our human well-being?"

LINKS:

Colleen Dell’s website - http://www.colleendell.ca/

Anna Belle the Dog’s Adventures - https://www.facebook.com/AnnaBelleSubiesAdventures/

Audeamus homepage - http://www.audeamus.ca/

Official Say Know homepage - http://www.sayknow.org/

Canadian Research Initiative of Substance Misuse (CRISM) Prairies website - https://crismprairies.ca/

SayKnow.org Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/sayknoworg

SayKnow.org Twitter feed - https://twitter.com/SayKnowOrg

Music provided by Redbull DJ Champ, Charly Hustle - http://www.charlyhustlemusic.com

Find out more on the Say Know Podcast website.

Dr. Darryl Gebien is an expert on the opioid crisis currently affecting Canadians, having himself been a fentanyl addict. As an emergency room doctor in Ontario, Gebien was prescribed opioids as painkillers and ultimately came to rely on them in order to self-medicate his psychological issues. After serving a two-year prison sentence for writing prescriptions for himself, Dr. Gebien now advocates for drug users, asking for greater empathy and compassion from government, law enforcement, and the public.

In this episode, Dr. Gebien discusses how his addiction developed, the most dangerous methods of fentanyl ingestion, and why building a community may be the most important step on the road to addiction recovery.

HIGHLIGHTS:

-Dr. Gebien describes the course of his fentanyl addiction and how everything spiraled out.

-The psychological issues that led Dr. Gebien to self-medicate.

-Exploring the different means addicts use to ingest fentanyl and the risks each method carries.

-How fentanyl powder complicates and obscures dosage, increasing the risk of overdose.

-The most surprising supporters of standardized fentanyl dosage distribution: high-level drug dealers.

-Dr. Gebien lays out his proposed solution to the opioid crisis.

-Recognizing that successful addiction treatment requires patients to overhaul their lifestyle.

-The limits of “safe injection site” as a program and as a term.

-Explaining “after-care” and the importance of building a community among recovering addicts.

-How shame and stigma only hampers the recovery of former addicts and can trigger relapses.

-Matt and Dr. Gebien take stock of how public and law enforcement perspectives toward addiction are already starting to change.

QUOTES:

“Being arrested saved my life.”

“That rapid onset, it might sound enjoyable to some people but not the down part, not the crashing off of it.”

“Nobody knows what concentration it is. How strong is this stuff? That’s the issue: there’s no standardization there.”

“An experienced heroin user generally knows how to play it very careful, but even they are overdosing and dying these days.”

“It’s just Russian roulette in that situation and some people are losing the game of roulette and they’re dying.”

“The real way to treat addiction is a changing lifestyle.”

“It takes time to undo the behaviours associated with substance abuse.”

“Getting people together who are not afraid, talking about my problems, sharing my feelings and being with connected with others is a huge part of recovery.”

“It destroys their lives! Not to mention their dental hygiene.”

“This is not a moral failing. It is a form of mental illness.”

“The first tenet of caring for others is to not judge them.”

LINKS:

Dr. Gebien’s Twitter feed - @DGebien, https://twitter.com/dgebien

Official Say Know homepage - http://www.sayknow.org/

Canadian Research Initiative of Substance Misuse (CRISM) Prairies website - https://crismprairies.ca/

SayKnow.org Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/sayknoworg

SayKnow.org Twitter feed - https://twitter.com/SayKnowOrg

Music provided by Redbull DJ Champ, Charly Hustle - http://www.charlyhustlemusic.com

Find out more on the Say Know Podcast website.

Keith Bowering works in community outreach for the city of Saskatoon. A former methamphetamine addict and member of the party scene, Keith is deeply familiar both with the lows of being a user and the difficulty that comes with beginning and completing treatment.

In his conversation with Matt, Keith discusses the culture that forms between meth users, how meth production and distribution has gotten worse over time, and the mental and institutional obstacles that prevent addicts from entering rehab. He also explains why we need to rethink the binary of using vs. clean across every substance addiction.

HIGHLIGHTS:

-Keith relates how he started using meth to allow him to stay awake and productive, and the way his lifestyle changed to accommodate for his addiction.

-Exploring the meth lifestyle as one of continual gain and loss, including an explanation of “moffee.”

-Keith delves into how trauma and his younger self’s philosophy influenced his addiction.

-Debunking the idea that legalization will create a larger number of addicts.

-How meth production and distribution in Canada began as a relatively controlled and “safe” process and has since devolved into a haphazard and DIY industry.

-Discussing responsible drug dealing and disclosing the quality and risks of a certain product to customers.

-The way that the decreasing cost of meth and its increased accessibility has sowed discord in the meth scene.

-Keith’s run-in with a paranoid, hatchet-wielding user.

-Why it’s difficult for severe addicts to even get started with treatment, let along go through with it to completion.

-The breaking point that pushed Keith to get clean to good.

-Weighing the pros and cons of different treatment programs, avoiding the the addicted/sober false dichotomy, and why we should look toward Portugal.

-How the political right may actually play a constructive part in the logistics of drug legalization and regulation.

-Diving into the “economy” of the meth scene, which is largely based around the bartering of stolen electronic goods.

QUOTES:

“Often what would happen is that you’d fall asleep and lose everything that you had ever owned, and you’d wake up and you’d start rebuilding.”

“As a teenager I was just gonna drive myself into oblivion and then be done... Looking back on it I just kinda shake my head.”

“Nobody wins from everybody killing each other.”

“I’ve been to the promised land of Methmonton many times.”

“When you’re doing meth, the violence is just part of the day.”

“I was so broken and so helpless that I couldn’t help myself to get into a treatment centre or do any of the process. They just make it an uphill battle.”

“People get sent to treatment centres... but they don’t understand that you CAN make it out.”

“I had no idea people could just stop doing meth and walk away.”

“I’m very successful at what I’ve been doing solely because I’ve been training for thirty plus years to be doing it.”

“You have to spend the time and do the work and see what their path is.”

“I don’t think court ordering people to go to treatment and stuff is really helpful.”

LINKS:

Official Say Know homepage - http://www.sayknow.org/

Canadian Research Initiative of Substance Misuse (CRISM) Prairies website - https://crismprairies.ca/

SayKnow.org Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/sayknoworg

SayKnow.org Twitter feed - https://twitter.com/SayKnowOrg

Music provided by Redbull DJ Champ, Charly Hustle - http://www.charlyhustlemusic.com

Vernon White is a senator for Ontario, former Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, and onetime police chief for both Durham and Ottawa. White’s extensive experience in law enforcement has given him a thorough and nuanced perspective on drug policy and treatment, which he hopes will have a constructive impact on legislation in the senate. In this episode, he discusses the importance keeping law enforcement flexible, how supervised drug consumption could cut down risks and costs across the board, and viewing drug policy less as a law enforcement issue and more as a social concern. He also explains why partisan thinking in politics can impede the implementation of genuinely good ieas.

HIGHLIGHTS:

-Senator White outlines his path from being a Cape Bretoner to joining the RCMP, including his service in the northern territories.

-His appointment to the senate and how partisanship can negatively impact constructive politics.

-Why, as a police chief, White tailored legislation to fit the communities he served.

-White explains why we need to take a practical approach to drug legislation and how supervised consumptions sites could cut down on crime and mitigate public health issues.

-How the Dark Web provides a new pathway for drug distributors and organized crime.

-Expanding the legislative and medical scope from opioids to methamphetamine as well, and why the latter is overlooked as a health crisis.

-The positive effects of introducing better drug education and counselling to schools throughout Ottawa.

QUOTES:

“Negative relationships will inhibit change and positive relationships will allow you to create change.”

“For me, a good idea is a good idea. I don’t care who has it.”

“I think most cops in this country would agree... that we shouldn’t see someone with a criminal record for a joint outside of a school... but someone with 36 joints, that’s a different story.”

“If we had 11 people dying [a day] in Canada of any other illness, we’d be doing a hell of a lot more than we are right now.”

“I think the addiction we should be talking about when it comes to marijuana legislation is the addiction governments have to taxes because that’s really what this is about.”

“My goal was to take the word ‘drug addiction’ out of our justice dictionary and put it into our social and health dictionary.”

“It becomes a criminal justice matter because we’re not dealing with it as a health issue.”

LINKS:

Senator Vernon White's page - http://sen.parl.gc.ca/vwhite/

Senator White’s senate website - https://sencanada.ca/en/senators/white-vernon/

Official Say Know homepage - http://www.sayknow.org/

Canadian Research Initiative of Substance Misuse (CRISM) Prairies website - https://crismprairies.ca/

SayKnow.org Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/sayknoworg

SayKnow.org Twitter feed - https://twitter.com/SayKnowOrg

Music provided by Redbull DJ Champ, Charly Hustle - http://www.charlyhustlemusic.com