The Health Minister, Leo Varadkar, has given the go-ahead for relatives and friends of heroin addicts to be allowed to administer a life-saving injection if they overdose.
Training is already underway for volunteers to recognise signs of overdose and, in cases of emergency, to give Naloxone, using pre-filled syringes.
It is the first time non-medical personnel are being instructed by the HSE in how to administer the antidote.
The 100,000 euro pilot project will involve family, friends and care workers of 600 addicts attending clinics, homeless people and The Irish Prison Service and will begin early next year.
