MIRAMICHI -- Miramichi is now home to a new trauma centre where those who suffer from drug addictions can seek help.
It's an open door to fixing what's now being deemed a "meth crisis" in the city.
"It's just beyond anything we've ever seen here in Miramichi," said Miramichi MLA Michelle Conroy.
Jessica Lawson opened the centre and she says part of the problem is how cheap and easily accessible the drug has become.
"The cost per ounce in the last three years has dropped a thousand dollars," said Lawson, the executive director of the Miramichi Trauma Centre.
Said Conroy: "It's the 'best bang for your buck' as they say. They can get it for $5 to $10 dollars a crystal and it lasts for a day."
It's an issue that goes hand in hand with another growing problem in the area -- homelessness.
"I'm not really sure which one caused the other, but around the same time that meth went up, the homelessness went up as well," Lawson said.
Alicia Hachey is a former meth addict who started using at just 12 years old.
"The feeling of euphoria that you get from it -- and it's not a good thing -- I know for a lot of users, it feels really good at the time, but there's such a bad crash off of it," said Hachey.
She's now clean and has turned her life around, but worries for those heading down the same path.
"There's so many lives being wasted because of this drug," Hachey said. "It's tearing apart families, and it's taking away so many lives."
Some are addressing their addictions in Ray Arsenault's sanctuary.
He says there are plans in place to get more help.
"The community is looking at drug rehab, a community drop-in centre," Arsenault said. "We're working with harvest house from Moncton."
But officials say it needs to go beyond that and that the province needs to step in.
"There's not enough resources in the province," Conroy said. "There's not enough funding. There needs to be more funding from the province."
The MLA is calling for help to address what's a growing concern along with a fear that it may get even worse.
Lawson is opening another trauma centre- in Moncton. It's set to open next spring and people who are suffering from addictions will be able to access things like counselling and services for rehabilitation.
