Pick up a free kit at participating pharmacies
With the government of Ontario having recently introduced new rules for safe consumption sites across the province, community groups are encouraging citizens to take the health and safety of their neighbours into their own hands by carrying naloxone kits.
Naloxone is an opioid antidote that can be administered to reverse the effects of an overdose. Due to the prevalence of overdoses, naloxone is available to anyone without prescription at participating pharmacies.
Ontario Minister of Health Sylvia Jones announced new requirements for safe consumption sites to be no less than 200 meters from any school or child-care centre. This will lead to the closure of 10 of the 17 safe consumption sites in the province when the rules come into effect at the end of March. While addressing the media about these changes in August of 2024 Jones said “the cycle of addiction is not being broken by using drug consumption sites.”
However, safe consumption sites don’t claim to end the cycle of addiction. They exist to keep drug users alive, because dead people can not recover from addiction.
Between January and March 2024 the government of Canada recorded 1,906 deaths attributed to opioid toxicity, roughly 21 deaths per day. In that same period, there were 17 hospitalizations and 96 emergency medical services (EMS) responses per day.
Safe consumption sites allow for testing of drug supply before use and give users a space to use where they can dependably receive necessary materials and services to prevent undue harm from their use.
With these impending changes front of mind, in December I got a naloxone kit from a pharmacy in my neighbourhood. This was my second time getting a kit; I previously received the nasal spray, this time I received the injectable version.
If you do choose to pick up a kit you can familiarise yourself with how to administer either the nasal spray or injectable naloxone here.
Should you come across someone they believe to be overdosing, first call 911. The kits operate to give the people enough time to get to medical attention. Stay with the person until EMS arrives.
For for more information on how to obtain naloxone kits across Canada see this resource from CMAH.
