A NEW campaign is being launched to increase public awareness of a life-saving treatment which can reverse a drugs overdose.
The Scottish Government and Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF) have teamed up to improve information about naloxone which can prevent deaths in the case of opioids overdoses.
TV, radio and billboard adverts as part of the Stop The Deaths campaign will encourage people to go online to learn the signs of an overdose, as well as how to get and use a naloxone kit.
The campaign is being launched on International Overdose Awareness Day, which will also see a ceremony take place outside Holyrood.
Campaigner Peter Krykant (above) will bring the van which he uses to run a drugs consumption facility to the Scottish Parliament, and there will also be a wreath-laying ceremony to remember those who had died as a result of an overdose.
Drugs policy minister Angela Constance said: “Firstly, on International Overdose Awareness Day I want to pass on my sincere condolences to all those who have been affected by a drug-related death.”
Scotland suffered a record 1339 drugs deaths in 2020, with fatalities having risen for the seventh year in a row.
Constance (below) said that the number of drugs deaths in Scotland “is heart-breaking” adding that she is “determined” the £250 million the Scottish Government has committed to tackling the problem will “make a difference”.
The minister added: “That is why I am pleased to launch this joint campaign with Scottish Drugs Forum to encourage the public to get involved in our national mission and equip themselves to save a life.
“It will help inform a wider audience of what naloxone is, how it works and how they can use it in an emergency.
Meanwhile, Kirsten Horsburgh, strategy coordinator for drug death prevention at SDF, stated: “With a little knowledge and training people can make a life-saving difference.”
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