HIGH-RISK drug users in Scotland will be given the anti-overdose drug Naloxone in take-home kits, as part of a Government scheme.
The treatment can reduce the risk of death from an opiate overdose.
In 2019, the Scottish Ambulance Service was called to around 5,000 incidents where Naloxone was administered, in a year that saw Scotland report its worst drug deaths figures on record.
The shocking figures from 2019 prompted the resignation of the public health minister in December 2020, and the creation of a specific drugs policy minister position taken by Angela Constance.
READ MORE: Agenda: The drugs stats would be even worse without harm reduction
But now the scheme, funded by the drug deaths taskforce, means kits will be given to the victim, friend or family member after a 999 call, so that it can be administered in the case of a future overdose.
Drugs policy minister Angela Constance said: “As part of a wide range of measures to address the public health emergency of drugs deaths, tools like Naloxone play an important part.
READ MORE: Safety fear objections as Police Scotland officers trial drug overdose spray
“We know that Naloxone is a very effective way of reducing death by overdose. By providing take-home kits in certain circumstances, there is a chance that a relative or friend will be able to administer it early in the episode, increasing the prospects of a successful outcome.
“Of course, we want to help people long before they get to the point of a life-threatening overdose. That is why we are embarking on a new national mission to reduce drugs deaths, and one which will have people with lived experience, and their families, front and centre.”
In December, the Scottish Government released figures showing the number of deaths as a result of drugs increased to 1,264 in 2019, 77 more than the year before.
READ MORE: Coronavirus in Scotland: Overdose reversal drug now more widely available during pandemic
Dr Jim Ward, medical director of the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS), said: “This new and significant initiative issuing ‘take-home Naloxone’ to people at the scene after a non-fatal overdose will support the reduction of potential future harm and death for vulnerable people affected by drug use.
“SAS is also strengthening its relationship with local drug services and is progressing plans to signpost our patients affected by drug use to these local services who have a key role in support and prevention of drug-related harm.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here