The NSW government has expanded its initiatives to combat drug overdoses by announcing the voluntary rollout to hospitality venues of an opioid treatment that has been proven to save lives.
The medication Naloxone will be offered to clubs, pubs and music venues to keep in their first aid kits. It is easily administered and is expected to reduce overdose deaths during the wait for emergency services.
This follows some high-profile deaths of media personalities who had used drugs that turned out to have been cut with deadly opioids, such as 30-year-old TikTok star Dunka Caldwell, aka ‘Humdinger’, who died in August after taking heroin he thought was cocaine.
NSW Health authorities subsequently issued a warning about drugs circulating in Sydney that may be contaminated.
Naloxone is a nasal spray that can quickly reverse the effects of heroin and prescription opioids such as fentanyl, in minutes, but its effect only lasts 30-90 minutes and should not replace proper medical attention.
It temporarily reverses the effects of opioid overdoses by blocking the path the drugs use to connect with opioid receptors in the brain. It is harmless to someone not experiencing an overdose.
“We know that overdoses can happen anywhere, including social settings, and this program is about ensuring that when they do, people have the tools they need to potentially save a life,” suggests NSW Health Minister Ryan Park.
Providing Naloxone to licensed venues is an expansion of the Minns government’s Naloxone Take Home program, which has attempted to reduce overdoses by distributing the medication for free through pharmacies, hospitals and health services.
John Graham, Minister for the night-time economy, describes it as a tool to help prevent deaths that brings NSW in line “with leading international jurisdictions”.
Clubs that choose to opt in will be provided training and tailored support from NSW health to help implement the program into systems.
“Making Naloxone available in licensed venues is about being proactive and responsible and can reduce preventable deaths,” explains Park.
