Harm reduction advocate Leslie McBain’s heart leapt when she heard the news that nasal naloxone kits would soon be free across B.C.

McBain, who cofounded Moms Stop The Harm in the wake of her son’s toxic drug overdose, says having an accessible alternative to the injectable intramuscular naloxone will save lives. 

Not everyone is comfortable carrying or using a syringe to administer naloxone — but a nasal spray can be an easier alternative.

However, she and others who pushed for this program are concerned to see that B.C. has so far only committed funding for free nasal naloxone until the end of March 2027.

“It’s very troubling actually,” she said. “The toxic drug crisis will not be over in one year.”

This program comes as the expansion of a 2024 pilot project, which saw 60,000 nasal naloxone kits distributed first to youth, Indigenous communities, and people in cold climates. Later, it was expanded to anyone at risk of experiencing or witnessing an overdose. 

Now, B.C. is investing $18 million to make the drug as widely available as intramuscular naloxone, with up to 290,000 kits available based on demand prior to March 2027.

Health Minister Josie Osborne celebrated the expansion of this project, but would not say whether her government would commit to funding it beyond next spring.

“My hope would be that we never need naloxone, that we were able to overcome this toxic drug crisis that we’re facing,” she said.

“But in the meantime, we want to make sure that people have the right naloxone, which is the naloxone they will use.”

More than 1,800 people fatally overdosed in B.C. in 2025, according to data from the province provided this month.

Critics push for long-term funding

Osborne faced pressure last year to announce the long-awaited outcome of the pilot project from experts and B.C. Conservative MLA and Critic for Mental Health and Addictions Claire Rattée.

Rattée is happy to see the new funding — and hopes nasal naloxone will replace the intramuscular for the general public, due to her concerns about the diversion of syringes for other drugs. 

However, this short-term commitment from B.C. feels like “pilot project part two,” she says, while meaningful investments for other addictions prevention, education, and treatment measures she’s pushed for are overlooked.

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Danya Fast, an assistant professor in the University of British Columbia who researches young people who use substances, is among those who called for the pilot program to be expanded — and hopes to see this funded beyond 2027.

“There isn’t going to be a time when we don’t need this, even if we can somehow address the toxicity of the drug supply as it currently stands,” she said.

“We still need these kinds of tools that are accessible to the community [and] are effective.”

One of the groups that Fast believes will benefit most from this change is young people, who might not have been comfortable carrying naloxone previously due to fears around needing to inject it.

How to access free nasal naloxone

People across B.C. will be able to find nasal naloxone first at 150 health centres, shelters, substance use service centres, overdose prevention sites, and other places in the community in the coming weeks.

Starting in April, this will be expanded to all of the province’s take-home naloxone sites, including some pharmacies.

To find locations that have free naloxone, Toward the Heart has a searchable database with participating sites. However, the Ministry of Health advises people to call ahead to make sure the site has nasal naloxone in stock.

Each kit has two pre-filled nasal sprays, along with instructions and other supplies such as a face mask for giving rescue breaths.