Recovery advocates respond to Narcan column
We represent two non-profit organizations that serve New Jersey in the battle against opioid addiction. Throughout the nation and here in Mercer County, the deaths continue to climb. One response to this health crisis is New Jersey’s Assembly bill A4271 which was introduced on June 27, 2018.
In the July 7 edition of The Trentonian, Jeff Edelstein stated that he is supports the part of this legislation that requires NJ students in grades 7 — 12 to learn about opioid abuse. We couldn’t agree more. In his article, Mr. Edelstein goes on to object to the portion of the bill that would also require students to receive “training in how to administer an opioid antidote, such as naloxone hydrochloride, to an overdose victim in an emergency”. Here is where we part ways.
We understand why Mr. Edelstein and others may perceive this as a “free pass” for kids to experiment with heroin and that this “normalizes” the abuse of opioids. We adamantly disagree, and with all due respect, we believe that our extensive experience with drug addicted people make our opinion more credible on this issue.
Obviously, if this legislation passes, and we hope that it is in place for the upcoming school year, it will be crucial for staff to be educated in how to present these lessons to our students. Naloxone, otherwise known as Narcan, doesn’t always work. Sometimes people die or have severe brain impairment, despite its administration. It clearly is not a free pass.
Mr. Edelstein misses a very critical point: a twelve year old is probably more likely to encounter a situation where naloxone is needed for a parent, older sibling or grandparent than for a peer. Most people who have naloxone on hand do so because they are living with someone who is taking opioids either prescribed for pain, or illicitly because they are addicted. Naloxone is not something that a 12 or 18 year old would walk into a pharmacy to buy. Although it can be purchased without a prescription, it usually has to be ordered and is quite costly if insurance is not being used for its purchase. Again, this does not constitute a “free pass”.
How realistic is it that an adolescent could administer naloxone? Naloxone can be administered using a few different methods ranging from a syringe, to a nasal spray, to an auto-injector. They vary considerably in cost and ease of use. The most expensive, auto-injectable naloxone, is simple enough for a young child to administer, has voice activated instructions, and the person giving it does not come in contact with the needle. Nasal spray naloxone does not have a needle and is less expensive than the auto-injector but is a bit harder to use especially in an emergency. The bottom line is this. We recommend that students simply be shown the methods available and given the information on how to obtain further training and access to naloxone. Then they will be able to use this knowledge to educate their family members. Educating middle and high school students is one way to educate families to take the proper measures if they are living with people on opioids for whatever reason. Incidentally, although most folks may not have naloxone in their home, the US Surgeon General has recommended that family, friends and those who are personally at risk for an opioid overdose, keep this antidote on hand.
Naloxone does not encourage people to use drugs. Most drug addicts do not think that overdose is going to happen to them. Addicted people are driven by craving, not rational thinking. The fact is that recognizing the symptoms of an overdose, calling 911, and having naloxone saves lives. It can, and hopefully does, offer an opportunity for an addicted person to get treatment.
According to NIDA, The National Institute on Drug Abuse, addiction is like many other chronic diseases. It can be effectively treated and put in remission. One obstacle to this is the stigma associated with and lack of education about this disease. Mr. Edelstein’s reference to a suffering addict as a “junkie” was offensive at the least. This is the kind of language that reinforces stereotypes and stigma. Since this epidemic is killing people of all ages at an alarming rate, and many within a decade of high school graduation, isn’t it time to replace stigma with compassion and a science-based approach?
— Paul Ressler, President & CEO, The Overdose Prevention
Agency Corporation, www. overdosepreventionagency.org and Michael Ziccardi, Executive Director, Recovery Advocates of America, Inc., www. recoveryadvocates.org