Is Narcan a scheduled drug? I feel like I should know since I administer it occasionally, but I honestly don't. Narcan has gotten quite a bit of attention lately, it seems. On a similar note, I've met a handful of people who don't think Narcan should be administered by anyone aside from doctors, paramedics, etc. No prescriptions for it or OTC sale of it. Why? "Because if there's an antidote available, people are more likely to abuse drugs!" As if an addict is going to score then be like, "oh wait, I don't have any Narcan around if I OD, better go easy!" I could be wrong, but I feel like the concept of drug prohibition has done quite a number on our brains. I wish I had a good, consistently effective solution to drug addiction, but I don't. But I believe 100% that prohibition is not an effective solution, and can even do more harm than good.
its legal (by rx only maybe?), and fairly easy to get (at least in my state) from clinics. i dont understand why every opiate user wouldnt keep some on hand. i wish theyd throw more funding in to harm reduction programs. needle exchanges, narcan, etc......some countries have places you can go in specifically to use drugs in a clean environment where they give you clean needles, sterilization, etc.
I'm not sure if it is or not, but I know that Texas loves to throw people in jail for handing it out to people. They also love jailing people for handing clean needles, since they consider them 'drug paraphernalia'. Honestly, there is no easy answer to addiction. But addiction levels stay pretty static...there is always going to be a certain % of any given human population that are going to become one. But in all honesty, if someone wants to become an addict, they should have every right to. Not every addict breaks the law just because they are an addict, just like not every person drives drunk because they are drunk. Those who break the law because of said addiction should be dealt with after the fact, and not forced to automatically become a criminal because of their addiction. EDIT: The funny thing is, a lot of the people who are forced into a life of crime to support their addiction do so as a direct result of prohibition. Prices rise to the point where they are forced to break the law in order to acquire the money to buy the drugs. When in reality these drugs are ridiculously inexpensive to manufacture. I think most people would be shocked if they realized just how many functioning, recreational drug users there are out there.
Seriously? That's crazy! I wasn't sure if Narcan was already being sold to the public in some states. Not so here in KY, but it's encouraging to see that it is elsewhere. Hopefully intranasal or perhaps auto-injectors (like EpiPens) of naloxone will soon be commonplace for family members and friends of addicts, chronic pain patients, and others at risk of opiate overdose. While the possibility of withdrawal following Narcan administration can have some dangerous effects, the dangers of these effects are outweighed by the danger of slowed or stopped respiration and subsequent hypoxia with the overdose, especially when it's given IN or IM. Though I think anybody purchasing it should be given at least a little education regarding airway management of an overdose victim (turn 'em on their side, pretty much), and potential side effects of administration and possible opiate withdrawal (though they're likely already familiar with the latter). But adverse effects aside, Narcan saves lives, the statistics prove it. Many people seem to have an all or nothing outlook, and thus don't view harm reduction as beneficial, or even view it as detrimental. Which seems contrary to the definition of "harm reduction", but I digress Reminds me of the schools with "abstinence only" sex ed, who end up with half the girls in the class pregnant by graduation
the clinic in my town (its like a methadone clinic that does hiv management and other addict related stuff) wont dispense it without you first taking a roughly 30 minute class on what it is, how to use it, how to properly inject somebody, what an overdose looks like, what to do in the situation, etc. pretty sweet imo.