By Michael Smith and Dexter McMillan<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Three years ago, naloxone was a Schedule I drug, available only by prescription. But an unprecedented spike in opioid overdose deaths rippling across North America brought swift change. Now, a publicly funded distribution program is putting over-the-counter naloxone into the hands of Canadians from coast to coast.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.0.6″ custom_padding=”10px||21px|||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.0.6″ custom_padding=”0px|||||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.0.6″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″ hover_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n [Photo \u00a9 Dexter McMillan]<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.6″]<\/p>\n It\u2019s difficult to walk too far through Vancouver\u2019s Downtown Eastside without seeing small black and white cases swinging from the belts and backpacks of pedestrians.<\/p>\n Inside the cases is naloxone, an easy-to-administer drug that can reverse the deadly effects of an opioid overdose. These kits are part of a country-wide harm reduction response to stymie a staggering loss of life to these overdoses, and are especially important in the Downtown Eastside, a neighbourhood with a high proportion of people who use drugs that has been hit particularly hard by these deaths.<\/p>\n Today, naloxone kits are produced by every province and distributed free to anyone at risk of overdose. But just three years ago, a prescription was necessary to obtain naloxone and its distribution was not publicly funded. The speed and scope of the policy change that brought naloxone from hospital corridors to the streets is historically unprecedented according to Zachary Patterson, an addictions expert at Carleton University. Yet changing attitudes towards drug use and addiction, and a philosophy that health care should be made available to everyone, has pushed lawmakers towards progressive action on drug reform in order to stop opioid-related deaths.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Opioids are nothing new to the residents of the Downtown Eastside. But in recent years, use of the drugs has risen dramatically, thanks largely to over-prescribing of OxyContin, a powerful painkiller, and the introduction of fentanyl into the supply of other illicit drugs.<\/p>\n Since the current crisis erupted in 2016, opioids have claimed the lives of well over 12,000 Canadians<\/a>, according to data from Statistics Canada. But British Columbia has been hit hardest of any province. In 2018, there were 30.8 opioid-related deaths per 100,000 people<\/a>, almost double that of Alberta, the province with the next highest mortality rate.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.0.6″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” hover_enabled=”0″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.0.6″][et_pb_slider use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”on” _builder_version=”4.0.9″ header_text_align=”left” header_font_size=”61px” body_font_size=”21px” min_height=”675px” custom_padding=”||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ custom_css_slide_description=”position:absolute;||bottom:10%;”][et_pb_slide use_bg_overlay=”on” _builder_version=”4.0.9″ body_text_align=”left” body_font_size=”17px” body_line_height=”1.6em” background_image=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/DSCF8688.jpg” background_enable_image=”on” width=”90%” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ custom_css_slide_description=”position:absolute;||bottom:10%;”]<\/p>\n A naloxone kit measures 6″ by 3″, and most come with a clip for a bag or belt. This kit is from BC and is distributed by the BC Centre for Disease Control. [Photo \u00a9 Dexter McMillan]<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide use_bg_overlay=”on” _builder_version=”4.0.9″ body_text_align=”left” body_font_size=”17px” body_line_height=”1.6em” background_image=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/DSCF8695.jpg” background_enable_image=”on” width=”90%” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Each kit assembled in British Columbia contains three doses of naloxone, contained in glass ampoules. Ampoules can be broken and the liquid drug can be draw into the syringe.\u00a0[Photo \u00a9 Dexter McMillan]<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide use_bg_overlay=”on” _builder_version=”4.0.9″ body_text_align=”left” body_font_size=”17px” body_line_height=”1.6em” background_image=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/DSCF8706.jpg” background_enable_image=”on” width=”90%” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Toward the Heart, an organization that helps distribute the kits, includes a survey to be completed after use. These surveys provide valuable statistics.\u00a0[Photo \u00a9 Dexter McMillan]<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide use_bg_overlay=”on” _builder_version=”4.0.9″ body_text_align=”left” body_font_size=”17px” body_line_height=”1.6em” background_image=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/DSCF8710.jpg” background_enable_image=”on” width=”90%” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n The complete contents of the BC distributed naloxone kit: three ampoules, a face mask for assisted breathing, rubber gloves, two disinfecting wipes, and three syringes.\u00a0[Photo \u00a9 Dexter McMillan]<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide use_bg_overlay=”on” _builder_version=”4.0.9″ body_text_align=”left” body_font_size=”17px” body_line_height=”1.6em” background_image=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/DSCF8711.jpg” background_enable_image=”on” width=”90%” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n The BC Naloxone kit contains three syringes. The tip retracts after injection, protecting the user from accidental needle sticks.\u00a0[Photo \u00a9 Dexter McMillan]<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_slide][\/et_pb_slider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.0.6″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.0.6″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.6″]<\/p>\n Opioids<\/span> act on the central nervous system<\/a>, shutting down pain receptors in the brain stem, which is also responsible for breathing and pain reception. An overdose occurs when the drug is taken in high quantities and begins to stop a person\u2019s breathing, causing them to asphyxiate and die.<\/p>\n Naloxone is an opioid antagonist, Patterson? explained, <\/span>meaning it competes with and blocks opioids from having an effect by competing with the same receptors in the brain that opioids try to activate. When administered to a person who is overdosing, it will temporarily restart breathing.<\/p>\n Naloxone was originally patented<\/a> in 1966, but it wasn\u2019t until 1996 when the idea to provide take-home naloxone kits was suggested and entered into the public consciousness, according to a 2017 article<\/a> in the Journal of Drug and Alcoholic Dependence. In Canada, a prescription was necessary.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.0.6″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.0.6″][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.0.6″]<\/p>\nChanging policy in a time of crisis<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Teaching an old drug new tricks<\/strong><\/h3>\n
