Naloxone kits ‘a must’ in Toronto bars

Canada recorded more than 2,800 opioid-related deaths in 2016 — more than 3,000 are expected to die this year

TORONTO (CP) — Within days of opening her new bar in west-end Toronto, Carmen Elle had equipped the venue with what she considers a key piece of equipment: a naloxone kit.

Elle, who is also a musician, said it took time to find a pharmacy that carried the free kits, which are used to temporarily reverse overdoses from opioids including the deadly drug fentanyl.

But having one on hand — and making sure staff know how to use it — is crucial to ensure the venue, named Less Bar, is a safe space for all patrons, she said.

“Any possible way to avoid somebody seriously OD-ing and possibly dying, I think it’s the responsibility of everybody who manages and runs these spaces (to do it),” Elle said. “Why wouldn’t we all just do that? It’s so easy.”

As public health officials across Canada seek ways to tackle what they’ve called a growing opioid crisis, some in the nightlife industry are taking steps of their own.

Several bars and music venues in Toronto now stock naloxone kits, and while the Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association does not have a policy on the opioid antidote, president Tony Elenis said members are taking precautions nonetheless.

The bar owners association of Quebec, meanwhile, said it was weighing a policy on naloxone kits, with a decision expected in the coming weeks. The Alliance of Beverage Licensees of British Columbia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lee’s Palace, a popular music venue in Toronto, got a kit earlier this year after its assistant manager, Norm Maschke, was advised to do so by a friend who is an outreach worker.

Since then, Maschke has encouraged others to follow suit, saying the kits are “a must, not just a want.”

“People do like to party late at night at bars and music clubs and elsewhere, and it would be in our best interest to make sure that if somebody does end up in a compromising position that we can at least help them as best we can. To not do it is negligent,” he said.

So far, there have been no fentanyl-related incidents at Lee’s, Maschke said. Still, he said, “I feel like it’s inevitable and I don’t want to just push it off and then be met with a situation and then I’m not prepared.”

Toronto Public Health said there are no downsides to having access to the kits in bars and other venues.

“Naloxone should be available at any location where there may be people at risk of overdose,” the agency said. “Additionally, anyone who needs access to naloxone should be allowed to carry and administer it, including people who use drugs, their friends and family, or others who may be in a position to administer this lifesaving medicine.”

At least 2,816 Canadians died from opioidrelated causes in 2016 and the country’s chief public health officer predicts that number will surpass 3,000 this year.

Naloxone is available without a prescription at pharmacies in several provinces, including Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

Close to 1,400 kits were handed out by Toronto pharmacies between January and March of this year, with another 1,039 distributed by Toronto Public Health during that time, the agency said.