B.C. government spending $50M to expand availability of nasal naloxone across province

British Columbia Health Minister Josie Osborne says the province is spending $50 million to expand availability of anti-overdose nasal naloxone across the province.

She says the expansion is an important response to the overdose crisis, which was declared 10 years ago this April, and it will save lives.

Osborne says the funding over two years means the nasal medication will make up about half of the more than 400,000 naloxone kits distributed annually.

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A statement from her ministry says injectable take-home naloxone kits have averted nearly 40,000 deaths since 2019.

Osbornes says the additional nasal kits will soon be distributed in 150 community sites, then in all 2,400 take-home naloxone sites from April.

Chloe Goodison, executive director of the NaloxHome Society, says the additional nasal kits will make it easier to save lives.

Goodison says drug poisoning is the leading cause of death for British Columbians aged 10 to 59, and nasal naloxone gives youth a tool they feel comfortable carrying and can confidently use in case of emergencies.