There is an opioid overdose crisis in Canada. In 2017, a record 3,987 people in Canada died of apparent opioid overdoses, an increase of nearly 34% from 2,978 in 2016. As in the community as a whole, an increasing number of prisoners are overdosing — sometimes fatally — behind bars.
Naloxone can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose and is an exceedingly safe medication. The Legal Network has prepared a brief info sheet outlining the benefits of allowing federal prisoners access to naloxone in their cells. We call on the federal government to make these changes to save lives.