One First Nation community in Ontario has officially declared a state of emergency due to an opioid crisis.
“In the last five years we’ve had over 45 deaths, drug-related to the opioid crisis,” Chief Veronica Smith, of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation in Ontario, told CTV National News. “If we don’t start dealing with the problem, then it will only get worse.”
“His addiction just didn’t start over night. He had a long standing addiction that, over the years, was getting worse. And the drugs were getting worse. And the drugs are getting more addictive,” she explained.Smith said she pleaded for her son to get professional help, but that he eventually succumbed to his addiction.“We’ve known here in our community, over the last number of years, that we were having an addiction problem,” she said.
“I think first and foremost we want to bring awareness to other First Nations that we are not the only First Nations in the state of crisis,” Smith said. “We don’t know how to solve the problems ourselves, so we are looking for help. We need some tangible services such as treatment centres, aftercare services, peer support services. There’s a number of services that we need to help with this addiction crisis.
“That larger problem is colonization,” she said. “The taking away of our culture, the taking away of our lands and our identities. That’s where I believe this addiction all stems from.”With files from CTV National News and Indigenous Circle reporter Donna Sound
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