KWAN WANTS HEROIN ANTIDOTE FOR USERS

A proposal by MLA Jenny Kwan to widen the distribution of a life-saving
heroin overdose antidote was once considered and rejected by Vancouver
health officials.

Kwan yesterday announced her support for training drug users to administer
the drug Narcan as a way to reduce overdose deaths.

Narcan kick-starts the respiratory system, which can fail during a drug
overdose.

"The reality is there are people who are drug users and they are not at the
stage in their life where they are prepared to stop using drugs," Kwan said.

This, along with other harm-reduction and rehabilitation measures, could
help save lives, she said.

Narcan programs have proved successful in Chicago and Britain, said Kwan,
who recently attended a health conference in Seattle.

Dr. John Blatherwick, chief medical health officer of the
Vancouver/Richmond Health Board, said the idea sounded good to him at first.

But two years ago, after careful study, he concluded doling out Narcan
might delay rescuers from calling an ambulance.

The program is useful in cities such as Chicago that have poor ambulance
service but here, ambulances are quick to respond, he said.

Most overdose deaths are caused by a combination of drugs and occur when
users wander off on their own. If people slip out of sight, neither a
friend carrying Narcan nor a paramedic will be any help, Blatherwick said.

Cpl. Scott Rintoul, who heads the RCMP drug-awareness unit, says Narcan
only acts for a short time. It is still necessary to call an ambulance
because after 20 minutes, the heroin kicks in again and the overdose continues.

He fears distributing Narcan will give drug users a false sense of
security. "It's a dangerous message, extremely dangerous."

While the debate intensifies, people on the streets continue to die, says
health outreach worker Byron Cruz.

He says Kwan's idea has merit and complains the health board takes such a
conservative approach that innovative programs are seldom given a chance.

"If we are going to give out Narcan, we would really need to train people
properly," he said. Today, only hospitals and paramedics are authorized to
administer the drug.

Cruz said that even if drug users are not included in the program, there
are dozens of health and outreach workers on the streets who could save
lives if properly trained.

In Pigeon Park, on Hastings Street, the proposal got a mixed review from
drug users.

"I've OD'd and come back to life 11 times," said Donald Winsell, recounting
his first-hand experiences with Narcan.

He said it would be a good idea to distribute it to heroin users, but his
eyes closed and he nodded off before he could explain why.

Vicki Joy was more skeptical. "It may be enabling people just to carry on,"
she said.

"They give us free needles and everything. It's gone too far."

She said she would feel uneasy about administering a drug to a friend.
"What if that person died? I couldn't stand it."