Naloxone in Prison – Joint Media Release

A coalition of health practitioners, harm reduction advocates and experts across the Nation are calling for expanded access to naloxone in prisons to protect against fatal overdoses from nitazenes and other synthetic opioids. In order to prevent avoidable deaths, the group is calling on each state and territory government to immediately:

• Provide training to custodial officers to recognise overdose and administer naloxone
• Ensure naloxone is accessible to custodial officers to promptly and effectively respond to overdose
• Ensure that naloxone and naloxone training is routinely offered to all people exiting prison

Please read the media statement published by the Australian and Other Drugs Council (AADC).

Signatories to the media statement include:

Mary Harrod, CEO, NSW Users and Aids Association (NUAA)

Geoff Davey, CEO, QuIHN

Professor Alison Ritter AO, Director, Drug Policy Modelling Program (DPMP), UNSW

Liz Barrett, Chair, Harm Reduction in Prisons Working Group

Melanie Walker, CEO, Australian Alcohol and Other Drugs Council (AADC)

Dr Lise Lafferty, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Social Research in Health (CSRH), UNSW

Sione Crawford, CEO, Harm Reduction Victoria

Professor Kate Dolan, Harm Reduction Australia, UNSW

John Didlick, Policy Analyst, Hepatitis Australia

Paul Dessauer, CEO, Peer Based Harm Reduction WA

Brent Bell, CEO, Hepatitis WA

Steven Drew, CEO, Hepatitis NSW

Ele Morrison, Deputy CEO, Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL)