By: Tanner Shotwell
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – Arkansas State Legislature has passed a bill that would require every school and campus in Arkansas to have Naloxone rescue kits on standby.
Opioid overdoses have been on the rise in Arkansas over the last five years. In each of the last five years, the increase has been noticeably alarming and fentanyl-related deaths have quadrupled from 2018 to 2022.
Corporal Jacob Lawson, provided the stats in which there were 36 fentanyl-related deaths in 2022 compared to nine in 2018.
Fayetteville Police Department has been on alert from these rising numbers across Washington County, and Sergeant Anthony Murphy has taken action to equip his officers with Naloxone.
Naloxone is a pharmaceutical drug used to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses.
“(Overdoses) have led to the point where first responders are carrying Naloxone. Every one of our officers is issued a kit to administer either to themselves or to people they find out on the streets that have overdosed or been exposed to Fentanyl,” said Murphy.
Murphy also talked about how easy it can be to slip opioids in drinks or other drugs, especially near campus’ and universities.
With police departments and officers carrying Naloxone, it was only time that schools carry these kits in their nursing offices.
Having kits in schools would help to combat rising opioid overdoses and would be easily accessible in case of an on-campus emergency. Narcan kits would come in either a nasal spray or syringes for injection.