Decade of drugs

New Glasgow - You may as well call the past 10 years the decade of drugs.
Pictou County has seen major changes in crime over the past decade, most of which can be traced back to the drug trade. Since 2000, hard drugs - such as the synthetic heroins, like dilauded and hydromorphone - have been making more and more appearances in the county.
Originally a strong painkiller, it became a prison drug back in the mid-1990s and then began spreading. By 2000, it was well established in places like Pictou County. And the mere presence of these drugs brings with it more and more violent crimes.
"There's a lot of break and enters, a lot of thefts, a lot of money being owed and people are being sent to collect," said Sgt. Howie Dunbar with the Pictou County Integrated Street Crime Unit, which is mandated to tackle organized crime in the area. "Crime is directly related to drugs and alcohol as a rule."
Since its formation nearly three years ago, the Street Crime Unit has executed well over 200 search warrants, and in all but five cases, weapons charges have also been laid. Dunbar tells the story of a search in River John, where the occupants had safely stored their weapons - above each entrance to the home, so they could be grabbed quickly.
Rifles tend to be the weapon of choice, he added, but he's seen lots of loaded pistols during raids.
And users turn to crime to fuel that habit. Dunbar tells the tale of stolen items his unit has seized during raids - things people would never imagine anyone stealing, like a furnace or a hot water tank.
Break, enters and thefts seem to be what many police departments are dealing with more and more, says Stellarton Police's acting chief, Hugh Muir. He believes the root of the increase is more than likely rooted in drugs.
"A certain amount can be written off as poverty, but it's different when there's an addict," Muir said. "Drug use always used to be associated with a lower strata of the public. But in this day and age, it can cross all kinds of social and economic levels.
Dunbar has seen that first hand. Well-educated people with good jobs have been sucked in, he says. Within two years of hard-core drug use, they're practically unrecognizable as the people they once were.
"It's grown dramatically, the drug use in the county," Muir added. "Ten years ago it was predominantly the soft drugs, your marijuana and hash. Now, there's easy access to hard drugs, which is creating more serious addiction problems from what I've seen. And as you get a greater addict, hooked on the harder drugs, they turn to all types of crime for their addiction."
Once someone is hitting the harder drugs, it's all over, added Dunbar.
"When crack comes into your life - it's the end of the run," he said. "It's a potent, potent drug for addiction."
But even prescription drugs are causing problems in the county, he added.
"That's the number one problem in Pictou County," Dunbar said. "It destroys people's lives."