Sioux Lookout OPP have teamed up with the Northwestern health unit to educate the public about the act in order to increase awareness of drug overdoses in our region.
See, Call 911 and Stay is the main that’s the message of the 2020 Sioux Lookout Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act Campaign.
Constable Andrea Degagne with the Sioux Lookout OPP explains what the act is.
“It allows individuals to contact police and stay with someone who’s experiencing an overdose, without being charged criminally if they’ve take drugs themselves or have other illicit drugs on them-as long as it’s personal use and not drug trafficking.”
Before the act was in place, individuals could be charged with possession or breach of parole.
The act was launched in response to the global opioid crisis to encourage individuals to call in overdoses, without hesitation and ultimately save lives.
After a successful 2019 campaign in Sioux Lookout, Degagne says OPP will be doing street patrol in combination with education from the Northwestern Health Unit.
“They’re helping us to promote and spread awareness what an overdose looks like and then how to deal with that, so administrating naloxone and calling 911.”
Degagne says Sioux Lookout and Red Lake were chosen for the campaign this year.
“Sioux Lookout and Red Lake were the two communities selected in the northwest region for the campaign. Both were chosen with the OPP Opioid Working Group projections that were created with police database information about opiod and overdose related issues in those communities. The project is to promote awareness so that lives can be saved, as well as trying to decrease the stigma associated with opioids and overdoses so that people can report to emergency services and individuals can get the help they need.”
OPP will be doing street patrol for 15 weeks in an effort to decrease the stigma surrounding opiod related deaths.
The campaign is on for 15 weeks in an effort to decrease the stigma surrounding opiod related deaths.
August 31 was International Overdose Awareness Day and the kick off to this year’s campaign.
