Heroin’s street angels

Public will carry overdose antidotes to save addicts

MEMBERS of the public will be trained to give life-saving ‘antidotes’ to heroin addicts under a move being considered by the Scottish Government.

Bus and taxi drivers, nightclub doormen, hostel staff, first aiders at music festivals, bin men and Big Issue vendors would learn to treat anyone who takes an overdose.

Naloxone, which can reverse the effects of a heroin overdose within minutes, is already available to addicts and their families for emergencies. Now the Government is considering training bystanders to help addicts if they fall unconscious or have breathing problems.

Last night critics said the idea was an admission of defeat and meant Scotland had lost the war on drugs.

There are around 60,000 heroin users north of the Border, with 4,000 new users recorded in the last year. Scots Tory chief whip John Lamont said: ‘The fact the Government is considering extending naloxone to almost every corner of society suggests a large white flag is being waved in the war on drugs.

‘It appears the SNP would rather prepare Scotland for an onslaught of heroin addiction than tackle the scourge head-on.’

An experimental £1 million scheme that gives addicts take-home kits containing syringes prefilled with naloxone has potentially saved up to 350 lives.

Under the project, when someone overdoses, falls unconscious or has difficulties breathing, a family member or friend can inject the addict in the thigh or arm with the substance.

When an addict overdoses, heroin causes reduced lung function and shallow breathing. Naloxone blocks the effects of the drug on the brain.

Now Government experts want the kits to be more widely available, despite the fact there are concerns about whether making naloxone available will simply encourage users to take more risks.

A report by the Government published last week says more kits should be distributed and more people trained to administer them.

The move has been welcomed by drugs campaigners.

Dr Saket Priyardarshi, vice chairman of the National Forum on Drug-Related Deaths, said: ‘The full potential of the take-home naloxone programme will only be realised if we see more kits distributed.’

Community Safety Minister Roseanna Cunningham said all the report’s suggestions would be considered.