Opioid-related deaths – for example from heroin or powerful synthetic opioids like fentanyl – make up the biggest proportion of drug fatalities across the UK.
There is an average of 40 deaths a week across the country.
But administering the drug naloxone to someone who is overdosing can be life-saving, by easing potentially fatal breathing difficulties.
Many police officers and ambulance crews already have supplies for emergency use.
Until now, only drug and alcohol treatment services could provide naloxone for home use.
In March I reported on the efforts of the Blackpool-based charity Empowerment to help people come off drugs like heroin.
The “Lived Experience” team in Blackpool is made up of former drug addicts, many of whom told me that Naloxone had saved their lives, sometimes on multiple occasions.
The staff at Empowerment were among those who could give doses of the drug to their clients, knowing that if an overdose was to occur at home, this could be a lifesaving intervention.
The law is being changed to allow paramedics, the police, social workers, probation officers and those working with the homeless to provide take-home supplies.
England’s Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said the aim was to reduce annual drug-related deaths by 1,000 by 2025.
“Opioid addiction can ruin lives and is responsible for the largest proportion of drug-related deaths across the UK,” she said.
“We are working hard to reduce those numbers by expanding access to naloxone to save the lives of the most vulnerable.”
