Dealing with Substance Abusers & Drug Paraphernalia

Recognizing Intoxication and Substance Use

Encounters with intoxicated or substance-affected people are routine for Alberta security professionals — outside bars, at transit hubs, on construction sites, and in retail settings. The first skill is recognition. You cannot respond correctly to a condition you have not identified.

Common signs of intoxication include:

• Slurred or rambling speech — words run together or are hard to follow
• Unsteady gait — stumbling, swaying, needing to lean on objects to stay upright
• Aggression or mood swings — rapid shifts from friendly to hostile
• Nodding off — the person's head drops, eyes close mid-conversation, they may be near opioid overdose
• Confusion or disorientation — not knowing where they are, what time it is, or who they are with
• Smell of alcohol or solvents on breath or clothing

Nodding off combined with slow or shallow breathing is a possible opioid overdose — treat it as a medical emergency, not a discipline issue.

The Safe Approach

Once you recognize intoxication, your approach matters more than your words. A scared, cornered, or startled intoxicated person can lash out or flee into traffic.

Rule of thumb: if the person cannot stand, cannot stay awake, cannot answer simple questions, or is turning blue — call 911 / EMS first and manage the scene second. Medical emergencies outrank trespass questions.

Drug Paraphernalia Is a Biohazard

Drug paraphernalia includes needles, syringes, pipes, foil with burn marks, spoons with residue, and small plastic bags. On a site you may find these in washrooms, stairwells, landscaping, or abandoned bags.

The critical rule: do not handle paraphernalia bare-handed. Discarded needles can carry bloodborne pathogens — hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV — and a needlestick injury is a serious medical event.

Follow your site's procedure, which should include:

1. Do not pick it up with bare hands — and do not recap a found needle
2. Isolate the area so no one else touches it (post a guard or mark the spot)
3. Use proper PPE and a sharps container if your site is equipped and you are trained; otherwise wait for the trained responder or biohazard service
4. Report and document the find: location, time, item, and action taken
5. If a needlestick injury happens, seek medical attention immediately — do not wait for symptoms

Alberta Gaming and Liquor Act Context

On licensed premises — bars, pubs, restaurants with liquor service, casinos with liquor licences — the handling of intoxicated persons is governed by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Act (and its regulations), administered by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) regulator.

Key points for security staff working licensed premises:

• The licensee is legally responsible for not serving an intoxicated person and for not allowing intoxication to continue on the premises
• Security staff act as the licensee's agents in carrying out these duties — removing or refusing entry to intoxicated patrons is part of that role
• A patron who is intoxicated must not be served more liquor and may be asked to leave; the licensee must ensure they leave safely
• Minors are governed separately — a minor on licensed premises is a regulatory violation regardless of intoxication
• Use of force to remove an intoxicated patron still follows the use-of-force continuum; intoxication does not by itself justify hard control

Lawful Authority: Search and Seizure Limits

Guards often want to "search" an intoxicated person or seize their substances. Be careful here. A security guard does not have police search-and-seizure powers.

What you may do:

• Refuse entry or require a bag check as a condition of entry (the person can decline and leave)
• Detain for the police under the Criminal Code arrest authorities for indictable offences found committing — and promptly hand over to police
• Seize a weapon if it presents an imminent threat and hold it for police

What you may not do:

• Search a person's pockets, body, or belongings without their consent or a lawful police authority
• Seize drugs "to dispose of them" — that is tampering with evidence; call police
• Use force to extract a bag or substance from someone who is not posing an imminent threat

When in doubt, observe, document, and call police. Your role is to manage the scene and protect people, not to act as a drug investigator.