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Treatment for drug addictions the focus of new online petition

Treatment for drug addictions the focus of new online petition

An online petition that calls on the province to make drug addiction treatment more of a priority has racked up more than 550 supporters.

"Having some kind of secure detox is the first step," Laurel Reisinger, whose 23-year-old son died of an accidental overdose, said. "There just needs to be more put towards that issue. It needs to be treated as a disease because that's what it is."

Reisinger added her name to the petition when she saw it. Her son, Alex, was addicted to opiates and she had a hard time finding timely treatment for him.

The petition is called Make a Recovery Possible in Saskatchewan and seeks action from the province to make treatment centres more available to people struggling with drug addictions. The petition has a goal of two thousand supporters.

According to Saskatoon's Calder Centre, adults needing drug addiction treatment can wait for as long as four weeks for rehabilitation services.

Reisinger believes waiting for treatment is risky.

"When you have a window of opportunity — when they say they want to go to treatment — you need to get them there immediately," she said. "You need to get them into detox if that's what they're asking for."

Jon Bennett, manager of youth programs at the Calder Centre, said adults seeking treatment need to be admitted with a referral from a community case manager.

While there is a month-long wait list for adults, he said it takes less time to get treatment for people under the age of 18.