By Chad Klassen

Naloxone not long-term solution for addicts

Apr 22, 2016 | 3:39 PM

KAMLOOPS — While naloxone has become widely used as a life-saving tool during this fentanyl crisis, the Interior Chemical Dependency Office wants to help people with more longer term solutions. 

Dr. Hancke De Kock says this recent spike in overdoses emphasizes the need to treat people’s addiction head-on in order to curb the problem. He says the crisis is only going to get worse, and while De Kock believes every user should have a naloxone kit, it’s not a long-term solution. 

“We need to treat the illness, we need to get the word out there that addiction is a treatable disease,” De Kock told CFJC Today, adding “People need to be refereed to our clinic, or any facility in town that deals with addiction, to treat it properly, because this is just going to get worse, and worse. It’s on a road to disaster if this continues. Naloxone will save your life, but it doesn’t treat the problem, so the problem needs to be fixed.”