Mom’s Controversial Decision: Why I’m Sending My College Kid to Campus with Narcan, and You Should Too

As a mom, I kind of hate it when people start talking about “back to school” in June, but recently, I was posed a question that is relevant to talk about no matter what time of year it is. A friend asked me, “Would you send your college kid to school with Narcan?”

As the mom of a certified college kid who is going into his second year on a large campus I can say, “Absolutely yes. Yes I would send him to campus with Narcan.”

Feel free to judge me, but first, I guess I should explain what Narcan, or Naloxone (Narcan is a brand name) is so you can judge with information. Knowledge is power, after all! The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration says:

“Naloxone is a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. It is an opioid antagonist—meaning that it binds to opioid receptors and can reverse and block the effects of other opioids, such as heroin, morphine, and oxycodone. Administered when a patient is showing signs of opioid overdose, naloxone is a temporary treatment and its effects do not last long. Therefore, it is critical to obtain medical intervention as soon as possible after administering/receiving naloxone.”

Why Send Kids to School with NARCAN?

Basically, it temporarily saves the life of anyone overdosing on opioids. Squirt some NARCAN up the nose of someone in the process of OD-ing, and you most likely have time to get them additional life-saving medical treatment.

And it is my opinion, but it is also stone-cold fact that the lives of these Image-bearers of God who are struggling with opioid abuse disorder are very worth saving. And, because these opioids people are buying are sadly often laced with deadly amounts of the super-opioid fentanyl, Narcan is very, very necessary to save these lives. So, would I let my 19-year-old kid carry it in case he sees someone in opioid distress on his college campus? I absolutely would.

Opioid overdose isn’t just a problem in college populations or among struggling adults. It’s even a problem with teenagers. In fact, the Los Angeles Unified School District recently announced it will allow its high school students to carry Narcan after a 15-year-old died of an opioid overdose at school. Since, as the superintendent explained in a letter to parents, Narcan  “does not have any effect on a person if there are no opioids in their body” and is not addictive, I have no problem with that, either.

Public spaces including schools have defibrillators on site in case someone has a heart attack, and to me, students or staff carrying Narcan is no different. Lives are worth saving, period. There is always hope in Christ for a person to recover and go on to live a beautiful life. But they have to be given that chance. So yeah, if my 19-year-old sees someone on campus that’s nearly lifeless from heroin, oxy, fentanyl, etc.—I want him to jump in an help. And pretty much the only way he can effectively help his fellow student is with Narcan.

It’s really not a controversial decision for me. A friend of mine’s brother passed away a few years ago from an opioid overdose. She and her mom miss him every day. Unfortunately he was alone at the time, and no one could save him. But his mom regularly posts on Facebook letting people know that she has Narcan to distribute and volunteering to show people how to use it, because she knows that the people who need it are valued and loved, and she doesn’t want anyone else to go through what she’s been through: the loss of her beloved boy who had relapsed and just needed a helping hand.

I have also learned from years of writing about parenting that this grieving mom’s child could have been my own. Hear me when I say this, parents: opioid overdose doesn’t care where you come from, how good of a parent you are, or how “smart” your kid is. Good kids make bad decisions. The minute we think ours would “never,” we are sticking our heads in the sand. Talk to your kids, and be prepared.

Would you let your college kid carry Narcan? Mine is 19 and can technically do what he wants, but you know what? If I thought it was necessary, and her school would allow it, I’d let my high school kid carry it, too.