Police are on the front lines of the opiate epidemic because of their close proximity to those who overdose. As a response to the growing number of opiate/heroin overdoses, most departments carry Naloxone in the form of a nasal spray Narcan. Narcan is a fast acting antagonist that almost instantly reverses the effects of an overdose by attaching to the opioid receptors in the brain and blocking the opium from having an effect on the nervous system. It is a miracle drug that has saved countless lives yet finds itself in the middle of a law enforcement debate on whether it is the duty of all officers to carry the antagonist. Narcan typically costs $75 for a pack of two and are provided to departments by health and community organizations.
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One side of the argument is that Narcan should be left to the medical responders who are better trained to apply the antagonist. According to a CBS article that interviewed Sheriffs in a county outside of Cincinnati, “Some police officials cite lack of resources for obtaining, maintaining and tracking supplies and for training in when and how to use it. They worry about taking on new duties they say are better suited for medical workers, divert them from fighting crime and can put them in danger.” The argument is also based around the fact that there are many routine users who are revived by law enforcement multiple times a month, thus using resources without rehabilitation. At roughly $35 per dosage, the cost to departments and taxpayers far outweighs the expectations of rehabilitation. In addition, those treated with Naloxone are often released from hospitals hours after treatment, usually going through symptoms of withdrawal. Many find themselves using again, but this time with double the dosage of heroin in their …show more content…
As law enforcement cracks down on dealers and the prices of the ingredients go up and the demand for the drug remains the same, economics says that the prices of heroin must go up as well. In order to keep low prices that their users can afford, makers will often dilute their heroin and add other ingredients for potency such as Fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times more powerful than morphine. Though it is a Schedule II drug with listed medical uses, the drug becomes deadly when the heroin user does not know they are taking a drug laced with Fentanyl. Overdoses occur when the users tolerance threshold is broken, meaning they simply take too much for their body to handle. In theory, if a user gradually increases their dosage but never breaks their threshold, there is no limit to the amount the body can handle. As one keeps using, they will need more to get high and their natural tolerance will increase with each use. Fentanyl is particularly troubling because of its unknown potency to the user resulting in a miscalculation of tolerance. Being 50-100 times stronger than morphine, the user will take their usual dosage of heroin believing that the desired effect will not break their tolerance threshold. Because of the fentanyl’s potency, the
One side of the argument is that Narcan should be left to the medical responders who are better trained to apply the antagonist. According to a CBS article that interviewed Sheriffs in a county outside of Cincinnati, “Some police officials cite lack of resources for obtaining, maintaining and tracking supplies and for training in when and how to use it. They worry about taking on new duties they say are better suited for medical workers, divert them from fighting crime and can put them in danger.” The argument is also based around the fact that there are many routine users who are revived by law enforcement multiple times a month, thus using resources without rehabilitation. At roughly $35 per dosage, the cost to departments and taxpayers far outweighs the expectations of rehabilitation. In addition, those treated with Naloxone are often released from hospitals hours after treatment, usually going through symptoms of withdrawal. Many find themselves using again, but this time with double the dosage of heroin in their …show more content…
As law enforcement cracks down on dealers and the prices of the ingredients go up and the demand for the drug remains the same, economics says that the prices of heroin must go up as well. In order to keep low prices that their users can afford, makers will often dilute their heroin and add other ingredients for potency such as Fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times more powerful than morphine. Though it is a Schedule II drug with listed medical uses, the drug becomes deadly when the heroin user does not know they are taking a drug laced with Fentanyl. Overdoses occur when the users tolerance threshold is broken, meaning they simply take too much for their body to handle. In theory, if a user gradually increases their dosage but never breaks their threshold, there is no limit to the amount the body can handle. As one keeps using, they will need more to get high and their natural tolerance will increase with each use. Fentanyl is particularly troubling because of its unknown potency to the user resulting in a miscalculation of tolerance. Being 50-100 times stronger than morphine, the user will take their usual dosage of heroin believing that the desired effect will not break their tolerance threshold. Because of the fentanyl’s potency, the