Opioid Overdose Prevention and Response in Canada

CDPC_OverdosePreventionPolicyIn consultation with experts who work in frontline overdose prevention programs across Canada, this brief was developed to identify policy changes that can save lives and make Canada safer for all.

Click here to view the full brief >

It proposes a comprehensive approach to overdose prevention and response that includes five key components:

  1. Make the safe and effective medication to reverse opioid overdose (naloxone) more readily available and cost effective by including it in provincial drug plans and making it available over-the-counter.
  2. Scale up community-based and other overdose programs that include education and training on how to prevent and respond to overdose. Include peers, family, and first responders in these programs.
  3. Reduce the barriers to calling 911 during a drug overdose event by implementing national 911 Good Samaritan legislation.
  4. Implement appropriate guidelines for opioid prescription that do not limit access to needed pain medication or result in further discrimination against people who use drugs.
  5. Increase the timely collection, analysis, and dissemination of data on drug overdose events.