For most people, watching the news on television, reading the newspaper, or checking out the news on your phone is one of the first things you do in the morning. You’ll read about the upcoming elections, the scores of the previous night’s sporting events, and whatever or whoever else is getting their 15 minutes of fame at the time. Then, you’ll read about who has overdosed. It’s to the point where you’re expecting it. “Teen overdosed on Heroin two months before graduation,” or “Mother leaves behind three kids after overdosing on Black Tar,” the headlines usually read. It’s devastating and it leaves you wondering why someone would risk their life like that. These headlines are becoming all too common. The distribution and use of Heroin is
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This does not mean addicts should be able to purchase this whenever they please. Narcan should only be available with a prescription. Only paramedics, police officers, and other healthcare professionals should be allowed to carry and use naloxone. Narcan is to be used in an emergency, by someone who is trained to administer it and will be able to perform the needed CPR on the person who has overdosed. Allowing just anyone to be able to have Narcan on hand is only enabling addicts. It is not a cure, as some people have called it. It is not a solution to this devastating epidemic. It is a resource that can help save someone’s life once or twice, but it will not cure the addict and it will not keep them from using again. By allowing this to be sold over the counter, we are contributing to the growing heroin epidemic. We want to stop this epidemic, not give addicts another reason not to quit. The first step to solving the problem of growing heroin use is to stop enabling addicts, but to instead provide treatment for the ones who want it. Those who choose to not seek treatment or professional help should not be able to purchase Narcan over the counter and carry it around in case of an emergency. Addicts are making the decision to continue the use of something that could kill them, so they should not be provided multiple free “brought back to life” cards. Instead, they should seek out the correct treatment and attempt to be cured, not get off easy and be able to resort back to
This does not mean addicts should be able to purchase this whenever they please. Narcan should only be available with a prescription. Only paramedics, police officers, and other healthcare professionals should be allowed to carry and use naloxone. Narcan is to be used in an emergency, by someone who is trained to administer it and will be able to perform the needed CPR on the person who has overdosed. Allowing just anyone to be able to have Narcan on hand is only enabling addicts. It is not a cure, as some people have called it. It is not a solution to this devastating epidemic. It is a resource that can help save someone’s life once or twice, but it will not cure the addict and it will not keep them from using again. By allowing this to be sold over the counter, we are contributing to the growing heroin epidemic. We want to stop this epidemic, not give addicts another reason not to quit. The first step to solving the problem of growing heroin use is to stop enabling addicts, but to instead provide treatment for the ones who want it. Those who choose to not seek treatment or professional help should not be able to purchase Narcan over the counter and carry it around in case of an emergency. Addicts are making the decision to continue the use of something that could kill them, so they should not be provided multiple free “brought back to life” cards. Instead, they should seek out the correct treatment and attempt to be cured, not get off easy and be able to resort back to