The Massachusetts Department of Public Health will distribute kits containing the anti-overdose drug Narcan to opiate addicts statewide, mirroring a project piloted in Boston last year, the Boston Globe reported Nov. 2.

Overdoses from heroin and other opiate use killed 544 people in Massachusetts in 2005. "We are aware sadly that despite our efforts, there are people who will not be ready for treatment, and we want to prevent them from dying from a fatal overdose before we have an opportunity to convince them to get into treatment," said State Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach.

Narcan, the brand name for naloxone, has long been administered to overdose victims in hospitals. But some criticized the plan to give the antidote directly to users. "You give them the Narcan, where is their motivation to change? The addict is going to say, 'I just overdosed and I got another lease on life -- great,'" said Michael Gimbel, a recovering heroin addict and former director of substance abuse programs in Maryland's Baltimore County. "Giving Narcan might give them that false sense that 'I can live forever,' which is not what we want."

The federal Office of National Drug Control Policy also objected to the plan, with  Bertha K. Madras, deputy director for demand reduction in the White House office, saying that Narcan only should be administered under medical supervision.

"This is a medical emergency  this is not a friendly, communal chitchat situation," said Madras.

But Peter Moyer, medical director of Boston's fire, police and emergency services, said Narcan is "a remarkably safe drug. I've used gallons of it in my life to treat patients."

Narcan funding will go to agencies in four regions of the state: the North Shore, Connecticut River Valley, Cape Cod, and Southeastern Massachusetts.