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.”
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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.