Naloxone (Narcan) is free in Canada. Every province and territory runs a take-home naloxone program, and in most of the country you can walk into a pharmacy and leave with a kit in minutes — no prescription, no appointment, and usually no health card or payment. This page is the how and the why.
Someone unresponsive right now?
Call 911 first, then give naloxone if you have it. Not using alone next time: National Overdose Response Service 1-888-688-6677.
Where to get a free kit
- - Pharmacies: most chain and independent pharmacies in every province stock free take-home kits (nasal spray and/or injectable). Ask the pharmacist: "Can I get a take-home naloxone kit?" — that's the whole script.
- - Supervised consumption sites, needle programs and public-health units: free kits, plus training on the spot.
- - Community organizations: shelters, drop-ins and outreach teams distribute kits in every major city.
- - If a pharmacy is ever out of stock or charges you, try another one — stock and practice vary by store, but the program is national.
Who should carry naloxone
The honest answer: anyone who uses street drugs, and anyone who loves someone who does. Canada's street supply is contaminated with fentanyl far beyond the opioid market — stimulant toxicity deaths more than doubled between 2018 and 2024, and cocaine and meth samples increasingly test positive for fentanyl. If you or someone around you uses cocaine, crack or meth, a naloxone kit is as basic as a smoke detector. Naloxone does nothing harmful if the person didn't take opioids — when in doubt, give it.
How to use it (nasal spray — the common kit)
- 1. Call 911 (or send someone) — naloxone wears off in 30–90 minutes, often before the opioid does.
- 2. Check response: shout, shake shoulders, rub knuckles on the breastbone.
- 3. Spray: peel back the package, place the nozzle in one nostril, press the plunger firmly.
- 4. If no response in 2–3 minutes, give a second dose in the other nostril.
- 5. Recovery position: roll them on their side; stay until paramedics arrive.
The pharmacist will show you all of this when you pick up the kit — the training takes about five minutes and you can ask for it.
The legal layer
Canada's Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act protects people at an overdose scene from simple-possession charges. Calling 911 for an overdose should never cost anyone a possession charge.
Sources: Health Canada take-home naloxone program guidance; provincial naloxone program pages (BC Toward the Heart, Alberta Community-Based Naloxone Program, Ontario Naloxone Program for Pharmacies, and equivalents); Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act.
Related: Naloxone profile · Fentanyl · Spotting pressed pills · Drug checking in Canada · Help lines