Naloxone kits distributed to those at risk of overdose

The Scottish Government has announced plans to distribute take-home Naloxone kits to people at high risk of accidental overdoses, in a move designed to reduce the number of drug deaths. This will include those who have been resuscitated by the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) following an accidental overdose.

SAS crews responded to around 5,000 incidents in which Naloxone, an opiate antidote, was administered in 2019. The kits, which can reduce the risk of a fatal overdose from opiates, will be distributed by SAS in a programme funded by the Drug Deaths Taskforce. Those at risk of witnessing a future opiate overdose, such as family and carer groups, will be given a kit and training in how to administer it.

Source: Scottish Government, 6 January 2021