Groups advocating for funding of nasal naloxone made their case to the provincial government inside the Saskatchewan Legislative Building on Tuesday.
The spray is believed to be more effective than injections in preventing drug overdose deaths, but the cost is higher.
Saskatchewan medical students are pushing hard for the widespread distribution of nasal naloxone.
“It was interesting to put an intranasal naloxone in front of the minister and have him deploy it,” Ryan Krochak with Students for Harm Reduction said.
Last week, the students performed the same demonstration for reporters. It’s less complicated than administering a needle to a drug overdose victim.
- Download the CTV News app for Saskatchewan breaking news alerts
“Our hope is that the general public has more confidence in giving naloxone but at the same time it should also be distributed to everyone else who might be providing a response to overdose,” Erin White, with Students for Harm Reduction said.
Nasal Naloxone is twice as expensive as an injection, about $70 for a double dose pack, but also far more effective.
“So you’re delivering much more naloxone into the body. When we consider the ever-increasing potency of opioids in our community, that’s important,” Krochak said.
The government currently has nasal naloxone available at 18 locations to test the benefits.
“We had a good discussion about that here this afternoon and they provided some research and information, some of it I’ve seen previously but also some new information which I committed to them we’ll review and make sure we get it to our officials as well,” Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Everett Hindley said.
The medical students are also advocating for government-funded harm reduction sites, safe supply and decriminalization of the drugs being used. The government’s focus has been on treatment. The students hope nasal naloxone could prove to be the middle ground.
