I've been in the area of Sioux Lookout since 1982, when I first went as an outpost nurse. When I first arrived, alcoholism was a bigger problem. The introduction and use of OxyContin, many of my patients said, was the first time in their lives that they remembered feeling relaxed and not anxious. You all know the story. It was engineered to have that impact.
I would say that there are more people involved than there ever were with alcohol, and I would say the rates are going up and the users are getting younger. We have seen 12-year-olds and 14-year-olds injecting in some of the communities.
The numbers appear higher to me, but part of the challenge is that the numbers aren't there. I would reiterate the point that this is a complex systems issue and we need data.