The drug naloxone can save people who have overdosed on illegal opioid drugs such as fentanyl.
Photo Credit: CBC

Aboriginal people trained on street drug antidote

A drug problem has become so bad on an aboriginal reserve in western Canada, that people are being trained to use a special antidote in hopes of saving lives.  People have died on the Blood Tribe reserve in southern Alberta after using the illegal drug fentanyl. Most recently, three people were charged after a man and woman, both in their 40s died.

The highly-addictive drug is used in surgery, and can slow the heart beat and breathing so much that they stop entirely. Fentanyl is so expensive that users introduce and sell it to others to support their own habits. Its use spread so quickly that the band declared a state of emergency earlier this month.

The drug naloxone can counter the effects of opioids such as fentanyl.  Health officials hope a special drug kit will help save people who overdose.

A program to train people to use the drug kit has already been implemented in the neighbouring province of British Columbia.

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