The Health Minister Leo Varadkar approved measures for relatives and friends of heroin addicts to be allowed to use 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 Naloxolone using pre-filled syringes.
It is the first time non-medical personnel are being instructed by the HSE in how to administer the antidote.