Make Narcan more available, save more lives

Too often, addiction ends in fatality, but when administered quickly enough, there is a drug that can give those who suffer from opioid addiction a second chance. 

Naloxone, or Narcan, is a life-saving drug capable of reversing opioid overdoses for drugs, such as heroin. While Narcan has become more widely accepted in many states, it isn’t available over the counter and isn’t in stock at campus wellness centers. 

When 16,000 people die from prescription drug overdoses every year, it’s critical to have an antidote available in our schools and public institutions. Narcan can be the first step in softly addressing one aspect of America’s addiction problem. We should debunk any stigma surrounding Narcan and promote its use in the case of an overdose.

The Norwin School Board adopted a plan last Monday that would allow nurses in its district to administer the drug in the case of an overdose. Neighboring school Yough School District also adopted this policy to combat the heroin epidemic that had found its way into many Pennsylvania schools.

Our school also has Narcan on campus, and Pitt police are trained to administer it.

According to Michael Zemaitis, a faculty member in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Pittsburgh who worked with Pitt police this summer to familiarize them with Narcan, schools and pharmacies need to continue this trend.

“The goal is for pharmacies to have it, so it’s accessible to a lot of people. Another goal is to allow doctors to permit people without prescribing rights to administer Narcan, which is done in a lot of other states,” Zemaitis said.

Narcan is safe and easy —  easy enough that CVS Pharmacies in 14 states allow people to buy it without a prescription.

“It’s available as an EpiPen-type of injection — hold it against your leg, and it does the injection. It’s nice and pain free and even eliminates needle-phobias. It’s even available as a nasal spray,” Zemaitis said.

While putting Narcan into the hands of college wellness centers, police officers and pharmacies seems like a common-sense proposal because of the immense benefits, some people disagree.

Because Narcan has the ability to reverse an overdose, some claim that it enables drug users by giving them a safety net.

“There is literature and studies out there that show this isn’t a problem,” Zemaitis said. “Obviously there may be exceptions, but we shouldn’t limit [Narcan] for thousands of people because of the few.”

According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released in June, the number of organizations that distribute Narcan doubled over four years.

From 2010 to 2014, the number of organizations distributing naloxone increased by 184 percent  — from 48 to 136. The number of people trained to administer naloxone jumped 187 percent — from 53,000 people to 150,000.

“With wider distribution of Narcan will come raised awareness, which will in turn expand the public’s knowledge and acceptance,” Zemaitis said.

With time and knowledge, more organizations are offering Narcan and more people are trained to use it. But more importantly, more people are being saved.

With wider usage of Narcan will hopefully come an appreciation for the drug’s capabilities to reverse overdoses, and only through acceptance of its life-saving capabilities can we reduce stigma.