With teen overdose deaths on the rise, this new recommendation is overdue.
On Monday, Biden’s administration recommended all U.S. schools stock naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug… and to train students and faculty to be able to administer the medication in the event of an opioid overdose on their grounds.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and Rahul Gupta, from the Office of Nation Drug Control Policy, wrote in a strongly worded statement:
“In the midst of this fentanyl overdose epidemic, it is important to focus on measures to prevent youth drug use and ensure that every school has naloxone and has prepared its students and faculty to use it,” noting that 107,000 people died from an overdose last year.
“Studies show that naloxone access can reduce overdose death rates, that its availability does not lead to increases in youth drug use, and that it causes no harm if used on a person who is not overdosing on opioids,” they wrote, noting many states have Good Samaritan laws that protect bystanders who help at the scene of an overdose.
They added:
“There is no time to waste when responding to an overdose, and it is critical that youth and school personnel can access naloxone on school grounds during and after school.”