Quebec to offer drug to reverse fentanyl effects in pharmacies for free

A drug used to reverse the effect of fentanyl overdoses will be offered free of charge in Quebec pharmacies.

READ MORE: Fentanyl: Will the situation get worse before it gets better?

The move comes as the number of such overdoses rises in the province.

READ MORE: 2 men found overdosed in Montreal’s Lucien l’Allier tunnel

On Wednesday, Public Health Minister Lucie Charlebois and Health Minister Gaétan Barrette announced the overdose-reversal drug naloxone would be made widely available.

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READ MORE: Fentanyl linked to three Quebec City deaths

Barrette says Quebec isn’t facing a crisis, but he is calling the situation worrisome.

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Police officers will also be able to administer the drug to people who are overdosing.

READ MORE: The Addiction Prevention Centre in Montreal distributes 20,000 fentanyl brochures

Late on Wednesday, two men suffering from apparent overdoses were spotted by security guards in a tunnel linking the Bell Centre arena to a subway station.