31 August 2026
Today, 31st August, is International Overdose Awareness Day, a day that brings people around the world together to remember those who are no longer with us and take action to save lives. This year’s theme is “25 Years On. Still Needed”, with the campaign organisers saying: “The truth is, we shouldn’t still need this day. But we do.”
We know more than ever about what can prevent overdose. Naloxone, opioid agonist treatment, drug checking, supervised consumption and safer supply can all play a role, among other interventions. But access remains inconsistent.
So, this International Overdose Awareness Day, we’re looking through the INHSU archive at some of those solutions, and the research and real-world examples showing what overdose prevention can look like in practice.
1. Naloxone: putting a life-saving medicine into people’s hands
Naloxone can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose, but it can only save a life if someone has it when it’s needed. Distribution, access, and knowledge are global challenges.
In Greece, a study showed critical gaps in knowledge of naloxone among people who inject drugs in Athens. While half had experienced a non-fatal overdose in their lifetime, and around 30% had witnessed overdoses in the previous six months, only 30% knew how naloxone works.
In France, fewer than half of people who used opioids surveyed knew naloxone was available, and only 19% were carrying a kit. In Australia, naloxone knowledge is increasing, but gaps in access still remain.
The solution
From a peer-led naloxone program in Scottish prisons to a training program for outreach workers and peers in Myanmar, examples from around the world show how peers can play a vital role in getting naloxone into the hands of those who need it most.
In rural and Indigenous communities in Minnesota, innovative approaches have focused on overcoming stigma by making naloxone available anonymously through trusted people, safe locations and harm reduction vending machines, distributing hundreds of doses to people at risk of overdose.
Back in Scotland, police officer training has also been successful, while the Scottish Ambulance Service has trained paramedics and technicians to distribute take-home naloxone. In Sweden, take-home naloxone programs have also shown promising results.
2. Supervised consumption sites: a safe space that can save lives
Developed following one of our annual policy days, this policy brief provides a starting point for those wanting to know more about supervised consumption rooms and their impact. It includes:- Evidence of success
- Global case studies
- Evaluation models
- Implementation considerations
This is a practical resource for understanding the evidence behind supervised consumption sites and their role in preventing overdose.
3. Drug checking: reducing risk in an unpredictable drug supply
In Baltimore, 76% of people surveyed for a research study suspected they’d used xylazine in the previous year, but only 33% reported known use.
The graph in the image above was shared by Emmet O’Reilly from South Riverdale Community Health Centre, Canada, at a previous INHSU conference. It tracks unexpected drugs found in the local fentanyl supply.
“This graph sums it up: absolute chaos,” Emmet said during the presentation.
Drug checking can help reduce that uncertainty, giving people information about what they’re taking while helping services identify changes in the wider drug supply.
The solution
Drug checking is already being delivered in different ways around the world. Aotearoa New Zealand was the first country globally to legalise drug checking nationally, rolling out a peer-led program in NSPs that has since detected misrepresented substances and contributed to public health warnings.
Meanwhile, restrictive laws in parts of the US have led to different approaches, such as the University of Kentucky Harm Reduction Hub analysing residue from used syringes to provide timely insights into the local drug supply.
While naloxone can reverse an overdose and drug checking can help people understand what’s in their drugs, safer supply takes a different approach: reducing people’s reliance on an unpredictable, unregulated drug supply in the first place.
Safer supply aims to do this by providing pharmaceutical-grade alternatives to drugs from the unregulated market. But access remains rare and often contested.
In Ontario, Canada, several safer opioid supply programs have closed, with one study finding that participants feared closures would push people back towards the unregulated drug supply and increase their risk of overdose.
The solution
Safer supply can take different forms. A 2024 review of 234 articles identified models ranging from prescribed pharmaceutical alternatives to vending machines and buyers’ clubs, describing safer supply as a promising strategy while highlighting the need for further evidence.
In Switzerland, heroin-assisted treatment has been part of the country’s response since the 1990s. And in the Vancouver, Canada a study showed how safe supply can be integrated into existing models of care for HIV.
Find out more about the swiss model in the video below, or read about it here.
Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) is a critical part of reducing overdose risk and drug-related deaths. Our free online learning modules provide practical, evidence-based guidance on OAT and other harm reduction approaches, helping healthcare professionals and others working with people who use drugs put proven interventions into practice.
