overdose/poisoning prevention

Over­dose Pre­ven­tion Hot­line
Nation­al Over­dose Response Ser­vice (NORS)

Use with some­one else and take turns spot­ting for each oth­er. But if you must use alone, have a safe­ty plan. Get some­one to check on you. You can also call the Nation­al Over­dose Pre­ven­tion Line.

NORS is an over­dose pre­ven­tion hot­line for Cana­di­ans pro­vid­ing lov­ing, con­fi­den­tial, non­judg­men­tal sup­port for you, when­ev­er and wher­ev­er you use drugs. Call NORS before you use drugs to con­nect with peo­ple who want to help you stay safe

Call (Cana­da only): 1 – 888-688-NORS(6677)

Call Nev­er Use Alone (US only): 18004843731

Mobile App (Glob­al): The Brave App

Take-Home Nalox­one program

Learn more about our take-home Nalox­one program.

If you use drugs:

If you wit­ness or expe­ri­ence an over­dose call 911 (or your local emer­gency num­ber). The Good Samar­i­tan Over­dose Pro­tec­tion Act will pro­tect those involved from drug pos­ses­sion charges or breach of pro­ba­tion/pre-tri­al release charges

  • Get nalox­one and over­dose train­ing before using – bring a friend
  • Be aware that ben­zo­di­azepines don’t respond to naloxone
  • Do not use drugs alone or behind a locked door. Have a des­ig­nat­ed respon­der: Stag­ger use with friends so some­one can respond/​call 911 if needed
  • Use a less direct route when you take drugs. Inject­ing a drug is the most direct and dan­ger­ous route.
  • If you mix drugs, reduce the amount of each drug you take and use opi­oids before ben­zos or alco­hol. Use the most unpre­dictable drug first.
  • Use one drug at a time, test your drugs every time by doing a small­er than usu­al test amount first
  • Wait before tak­ing anoth­er dose – some drugs take longer to take effect
  • The amount of nalox­one in a take-home kit may not be enough to reverse very pow­er­ful over­dos­es, such as those caused by fen­tanyl-like drugs.
  • If you inject do not share any injec­tion equip­ment (nee­dles, cook­ers, fil­ters, rinse). Ster­ile drug use sup­plies and take home nalox­one kits are avail­able free from many places.