KPU raises awareness about the toxic-drug crisis and offers naloxone training
The Nov. 4 event provided attendees with the skills and tools needed to intervene and prevent an overdose
Attendees at the event on Nov. 4 heard from those with lived experiences. (Shayoni Ganguly)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University hosted an event on Nov. 4 to raise awareness about the growing toxic-drug crisis in B.C. and supply students with the skills and knowledge to prevent drug poisonings in their community.
“The Toxic Drug Supply and Post-Secondary Students” offered students, faculty, and staff skills to administer naloxone, a medicine that reverses opioid overdose. KPU has two naloxone kits available at each campus for emergency use only.
“Events like this are important because they raise awareness about the current toxic drug crisis,” wrote Alicia Horton, a criminology instructor at KPU and one of the event organizers, in an email statement to The Runner.
“They bring together community members, people with lived experience, and other people interested in addressing the toxic-drug crisis.”
The event provided attendees with the awareness, tools, and skills necessary to intervene in a potential overdose situation, receiving naloxone kits that came with gloves, syringes, and the medication to safely use on someone. Attendees also heard from community groups engaged in harm reduction and those with lived experiences.
“Naloxone training is important for post-secondary students to learn about because knowing how to use it can save someone’s life,” Horton wrote.
When someone ingests more opioids than their body can handle, their breathing slows down, leading to unconsciousness, and, in some cases, death. Naloxone works to reverse this effect and should be administered if the person has slow, shallow, or stopped breathing, has small pupils, blue or purple lips or fingertips, and is unresponsive, the B.C. government reports.
In 2016, the B.C. government and public health officer declared the province’s opioid crisis a public health emergency. Ever since then, the number of deaths have been increasing. In 2023, at least 2,511 people died due to toxic drugs, the largest number recorded in a year.
“I hope that students will learn about the current toxic drug crisis and feel more informed on the issue,” Horton wrote. “I also hope that students will be able to look out for each other and understand how to use naloxone if they need to.”
Jordan, an attendee at the event, says she is from Tsawwassen, and even though there aren’t a lot of visible drug users in the area, that doesn’t mean this issue doesn’t exist.
“I don’t see people in my community carrying naloxone or even spreading that information,” she says. “I thought that if I don’t see it in my community, and I know that people are still doing drugs, then it’s on me to help.”
To learn more about naloxone, visit www.bit.ly/4fAhgWN.
