Equipping Montreal police officers with naloxone would save lives, group says

Outreach groups in Montreal say it's time the city's police force jointheir counterparts elsewhere in the country and equip their officers with naloxone, used to treat opioid overdoses.

Louis Letellier de St-Just, president of community organizationCactusMontreal, says a cop with naloxone could be the difference between life and death for some drug users.

"If policemen are getting to a place where there's an overdose, theycan act immediately and save a life," said de St-Just, who is also a lawyer specializing in public health.

Montreal cityCoun.MarvinRotrandsays he wrote a letter to police Chief PhilippePichet, followingtwo deaths last week that aresuspected to be caused by drug overdoses, urging the force have its officers carrynaloxonekits.

Pichetwrote back Tuesday,saying the move to do so was in the works and that he and Mayor DenisCoderreare planning to meet about the issue, thecouncillorsaid.

Rotrandsaid that was good news, but pointed out that when he raised the issue of theopioidepidemic at city hall at the beginning of the year, his call for an action plan fell on deaf ears.

"Nobody knew what was going on and [said], 'It's an exaggeration,'" he said.

Making naxolone more readily available

DeSt-Just added first responders should receive special training on how to usenaloxoneand treat overdoses.

He says the distribution ofnaloxonekits shouldn't stop at police officers or evenfirst responders. Ideally, safe injection sites such as Cactus Montreal would be able to hand them out toopioidusers as well, he said.

"It's extremely important to extend the accessibility tonaloxone," de St-Just said. "If we want to face what we call the crisis, we need to put all the chances on our side."

He believes the Health Ministry should release its action plan on the matter ofopioidand drug use sooner than its planned publication in the fall.

• How to administer naloxone in case of opioid overdose
• Montreal's supervised injection sites open, a first in Eastern Canada

Both de St-Just andRotrandagree makingnaloxonemore available is only one step in preventing arash of overdoses similar to what other Canadian cities, such as Vancouver and, more recently, Toronto, have experienced.

Other Canadian police forces carry the antidote

A spate of overdoses in Torontoprompted Mayor John Torytoask that city's police forceto reconsider its position not to carrynaloxoneat the beginning of the month.

Vancouver announced last week the number of overdose deaths in 2017, at 232, had alreadysurpassedlast year's total.

Rotrandsuggested police in Montreal could follow Ottawa's approach, which has been to provide halfof its officers withnaloxonekits.

Harm reduction workers in Ontario have been calling the epidemic apublic health crisis and are urging officials to do the same.

"One of the things we can anticipate is thisopioidsepidemic is going to get worse before it gets better,"Rotrandsaid.

• At least 2,458 Canadians died fromopioid-relatedoverdoses in 2016: report
• Harm reduction workers call on Ontario to declare emergency overopioidcrisis

90 drug overdoses in Montreal this year

Police have carried out a number of drug busts in Quebecin the past year, where they have found and seized large amounts offentanyl.

Fentanylis apowerfulpainkiller linked to an overdose epidemic in a number of Canadian provinces and in the United States.

Montreal police say as of last week, there'd been more than 90 drug overdoses this year, 10 of which were linked tofentanyl. Two of the overdoses have been fatal.

• Police believe source of Montreal overdoses isdrugs spiked withfentanyl
• Despite recent drug bust, Montreal is avoiding afentanylcrisis

Two weeks ago, there were seven overdoses in the neighbourhoodofHochelaga-Maisonneuvepolice said they believe weredue tofentanyl-laceddrugs.

"When I raised this issue again last week at city hall, I think I found a better audience,"Rotrandsaid, commendingCoderre'ssupport for safe injection sites in the city.