The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is reporting that the use of naloxone by officers has saved more than 100 lives across the province since 2017.
In a news release issued Monday afternoon, the OPP said 102 lives have been saved through the use by officers of the fast-acting drug that temporarily reverses the effects of opioid overdoses.
Frontline OPP officers began carrying naloxone in September of 2017.
Provincial police said total opioid overdoses attended by the OPP jumped by 121 per cent across the province between 2016 and 2018.
Here are the numbers compiled by the OPP:
- The majority, 66 per cent, of naloxone recipients were male and 34 per cent were female.
- The average age of naloxone recipients was 31.5 for females and 32 for males.
- Most incidences occurred inside a residence.
- The majority of opioid-related overdoses occurred in the OPP's Central and West Regions.
It added it is determined to hold drug traffickers accountable by laying charges for drug-related deaths. The OPP said 13 charges of manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death in connection to fatal overdoses have been laid during the last four years. Eight of them were laid in 2019.
"The OPP recognizes lives are being lost due to the opioid crisis and we are taking action. Saving lives by administering naloxone is just one step," said OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique. "Our officers embody the spirit of the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act as they assist and protect overdose victims while continuing to criminally charge those responsible for trafficking substances that are causing overdoses and sometimes death."
Police remind the public the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act is in effect.
"If you see someone experiencing an overdose, we ask that you call 911 and stay with the victim to provide support. You could be saving a life," added OPP Superintendent Bryan Mackillop.
