Mother pleads for help for addicted son at Sask. legislature

Pam Sanderson doesn't know what to do.

On Friday, her son is being released from jail in Regina. He is addicted to opioids and crystal meth and suffers from ADHD and bi-polar disorder.

Local shelters won't deal with him anymore and he's had immense difficulty getting access to addiction treatment.

"I've tried everything," Sanderson told reporters at the Saskatchewan Legislative Building Thursday. "There are a serious lack of services. There aren't any addictions facilities that are able to treat crystal meth."

While the provincial government has recently started providing crack and crystal meth pipes at harm reduction centres, Sanderson wants to see a complete revamp of addictions services.

She wants to see treatment centres that can help people with both mental health issues and addictions.

Sanderson also wants to see longer-term addictions services. While her son has attended 28-day detox services, she said it hasn't been long enough to break the cycle of addictions.

"I want to talk about a new model of addictions, to bring addictions services into the 21st century," she said. "We are not just dealing with alcohol abuse anymore or prescription drug abuse anymore."

He gets released, and within 24 hours, 48 hours, he's homeless.- Pam Sanderson

Outside of Question Period, Health Minister Jim Reiter promised he would meet with Sanderson but said addictions is a difficult and complicated issue.

"This isn't a Saskatchewan-only phenomenon," he said. "This is across the country. Every province is struggling with this."

Reiter said the province has greatly increased spending on addictions services since the Saskatchewan Party formed government, and will likely make more spending announcements before the end of session.

However, Sanderson said her son needs help immediately.

"He gets released, and within 24 hours, 48 hours, he's homeless," she said. "He has no place to eat, he has no proper clothing...I do the best I can, but because of the crystal meth use, he's violent."

She pointed to a treatment facility in British Columbia that provides a therapeutic 24 month live-in facility program. She said a lengthy detox program might provide her son with the help he needs.