The Ethical Dilemma of Narcan Administration to Drug Users
Lorene E. Williams
RELE 524 December 2017
Loma Linda University
The Ethical Dilemma of Narcan Administration to Drug Users There is a dispute among medical professionals, government entities and individuals as to whether the training and provision of Narcan is really necessary as addicts make a conscious decision to take the drugs. This paper will look at the history of opioid use, facts associated with the opioid epidemic, and the utilization of Narcan to save lives. Opposing positions will be discussed and the paper will conclude with some ideas for using a many-pronged approach to fight the opioid epidemic. There is a parable utilized by many organizations to stress the importance of prevention with issues encountered in every day life: One day, some villagers go down to the river to fish. All of a sudden, a baby is seen floating in the river. One of the villagers jumps in and brings the baby to shore. Another baby comes floating down the river. Without hesitation, another villager wades in and brings that baby to shore. More babies keep floating towards the villagers. As everyone is busy rescuing the babies, two villagers start to run along the shore upstream. “Where are you going?” the …show more content…
They will know if they overdose, the Narcan will revive them and bring them out of the overdose. The user may then return to doing the same thing and again be revived from an overdose. Heroin and other opioid users may not be fully employed, thus don’t pay taxes. Governments, i.e. taxpayers, will be footing the bill for enabling the bad behavior. Some users given Narcan can become angry because a responder not only took away their high, but the user can become very sick because they were pulled out of the high quickly. Yes, the user can be offered rehabilitation but there is nothing to keep them there if they don’t want to be
Lorene E. Williams
RELE 524 December 2017
Loma Linda University
The Ethical Dilemma of Narcan Administration to Drug Users There is a dispute among medical professionals, government entities and individuals as to whether the training and provision of Narcan is really necessary as addicts make a conscious decision to take the drugs. This paper will look at the history of opioid use, facts associated with the opioid epidemic, and the utilization of Narcan to save lives. Opposing positions will be discussed and the paper will conclude with some ideas for using a many-pronged approach to fight the opioid epidemic. There is a parable utilized by many organizations to stress the importance of prevention with issues encountered in every day life: One day, some villagers go down to the river to fish. All of a sudden, a baby is seen floating in the river. One of the villagers jumps in and brings the baby to shore. Another baby comes floating down the river. Without hesitation, another villager wades in and brings that baby to shore. More babies keep floating towards the villagers. As everyone is busy rescuing the babies, two villagers start to run along the shore upstream. “Where are you going?” the …show more content…
They will know if they overdose, the Narcan will revive them and bring them out of the overdose. The user may then return to doing the same thing and again be revived from an overdose. Heroin and other opioid users may not be fully employed, thus don’t pay taxes. Governments, i.e. taxpayers, will be footing the bill for enabling the bad behavior. Some users given Narcan can become angry because a responder not only took away their high, but the user can become very sick because they were pulled out of the high quickly. Yes, the user can be offered rehabilitation but there is nothing to keep them there if they don’t want to be