24 May 2022
Cab drivers for Edinburgh’s Central Taxis have agreed to carry naloxone as part of a campaign to reduce drug deaths.
Central Taxis – in partnership with the Scottish Ambulance Service, Scottish Drugs Forum, Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs, and Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership – will now equip some of their drivers with naloxone.
As well as drivers carrying the opioid overdose reversal drug, one of the taxis will be emblazoned – inside and out – to carry the #StopTheDeaths message.
This follows Glasgow Taxis, who worked with Scottish Drugs Forum and Scottish Families Affected by Drugs and Alcohol to implement the same measures in February of this year.
The carriage of naloxone and the raising of awareness of how to recognise and intervene when a person is experiencing an overdose is a significant part of the effort to reduce drug related deaths in Scotland.
Administering naloxone can buy time for an ambulance to arrive and can be vital in preventing an individual from dying or experiencing long lasting damage to their health as a result of an overdose.
Drugs Policy Minster, Angela Constance said:
“I welcome this joint initiative by Scottish Ambulance Service and Edinburgh taxi drivers which will result in more lives being saved through the use of the emergency treatment naloxone.
“The response to the Stop The Deaths campaign by the Scottish Drugs Forum and Scottish Government earlier this year has been very encouraging and in addition to saving lives, we hope it has helped reduce the stigmatisation of people at risk of overdose and those with a problematic drug use more broadly.
“Naloxone is one of a wide range of measures being used to address the public health emergency of drugs deaths, but it plays an important role and I hope people will continue to visit the Stop The Deaths website to find out more.”
SDF offer free training on how to identify and respond to an overdose – including how to administer naloxone. Find this short e-learning course here.
Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs provides Take Home Naloxone here.