Last year, State Representative Helena Moreno authored a bill allowing police and firefighters to carry Naloxone -- or Narcan -- a drug that can reverse heroin overdose. But it wasn’t enough to curb heroin deaths. This year, Representative Moreno is trying again to get Narcan into the hands of more people.
Right now, first responders are the only ones who can legally carry Narcan. But some law enforcement officers have been reluctant to do that. The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office doesn’t carry the drug. And some won’t call 911 for fear of being arrested for drug possession or distribution.
"Members what this bill does is aim to reduce the number of heroin related deaths in the state. It allows for third parties -- a parent or a spouse of someone who's addicted to heroin -- to receive a prescription for a very safe drug called Naloxone," said Moreno, presenting her bill in committee.
There were 28 heroin-related deaths in East Baton Rouge Parish alone in 2014. Logan Kinamore, Executive Director of No Overdose Baton Rouge, says should Moreno’s bill pass, that number could decline.
"Often the people who are really first responders on the scene of an overdose are fellow users or the loved ones of someone who uses," Kinamore said.
Of course, using Narcan would require some training, like how to recognize an overdose. Kinamore explains that if someone is unresponsive, not breathing, or cyanotic -- they have blue lips or fingertips -- they are most likely overdosing.
Narcan is available as an intramuscular injection or as a nasal spray. Moreno’s bill would only make the nasal spray available. The drug comes in a glass ampule.
"You screw the nasal disperser on. It's like a rubber cone that fits into the nostril and then you insert the cone into the nostril and just depress the glass plunger and the Narcan is dispensed," Kinamore explained.
The effect is nearly instantaneous. Within two minutes, the person who receives it will be awake and breathing.
And it could all be done without having to call the police.