With opioid overdoses on rise, naloxone to be offered for free in Quebec

In order to prevent a full-blown fentanyl crisis, the opioid antidote naloxone will be available free of charge across 1,900 Quebec pharmacies as of Friday.

"We know that obviously in Quebec it's not as critical as in other provinces, but we don't have to get to that level,"said Health Minister Gatan Barrette, who made the announcement in a news conference Thursday.

The injectable antidote will be available to anyone over the age of 14 who has a Quebec health card, "without questions and without an investigation," said Barrette.

• Fentanyla 'public health emergency' in Montreal, doctor warns

The measurewas firstannounced by the Quebec government in September as part of a larger municipal and public health plan authorities are rolling out with the rise inthe number of drug overdoses and deaths related to fentanyl, a powerful opioidand painkiller.

Frontline workers have been calling for an action plan to fight fentanyl and prevent a crisis situation similar to the one unfolding in British Columbia, where 914 people died this year fromoverdoses linked to the drug.

The announcement was made the same day as Laval Public Health called for residents to be vigilant after twodrug-related deaths since Junewere found to be related to fentanyl.

Quebec to keep registry

Under Quebec's newprogram, people "in distress"who don't have a health card will still be able to obtain naloxone.

That provision is designed for "homeless people, who most of the time don't have their own medicare card,"said Barrette.

"It's about saving lives, it's not about regulations," said Barrette.

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Pharmacists will be able to provide a maximum of eight vials of naloxone, along with the syringes necessary to inject it to anyone who requests it. They will also be able to provide instructions on how to administer the antidote.

"If a person iswitnessing someone overdosing, or knows someone who is, they can administer the drug," said Barrette.

The province will also keep a registry to document how much naloxone is given away as part of its program. The program,which has a budget of $200,000, will be re-evaluated every three years.

Quebec's national public health institute (INSPQ) said 19.3 per cent of opioid-related deaths in Quebec in 2016 were caused by fentanyl.

"While Quebec has been relatively spared from the opioid crisis, the situation is very worrying, and we need to have the means to act when it comes to prevention regarding people most at risk of overdosing," said Lucie Charlebois, Quebec's public health minister.

Police won't carry naloxoneyet

Under the new plan, police across the provinceare still not required to be equipped withnaloxone.

Outreach groups in Montreal have pushed the city'spolice forceto jointheir counterparts elsewhere in the country and equip their officers withnaloxonekits.

Charlebois, however, said that more than 90 per cent of Quebec paramedics already carry the antidote and are trained to use it.

• 2,000% rise in street drug samples testing positive forfentanyl

The province is considering whether to have police officers carry the antidote as well, as part of a broader opioid strategy, which is still in development, according to Barrette.

The strategy may also include allowing all community organizations, alongside pharmacies, to offernaloxone.

"We're reflecting on it," he said.