Facing the rising number of deaths caused by heroin overdoses and other opiates, the police of New York have announced that they will provide funding for the acquisition of Naloxone, a drug which could save the lives of people overdosing.
According to The New York Times, the city and state police will carry the antidote, known under the brand "Narcan", and will receive training to administer the drug in the correct manner.
A part of the "Community Program for Overdose Prevention", the measure contemplates that the training of the agents, along with the necessary equipment to administer the antidote (a kit valued at $60), will be financed with $5 million coming from money seized during anti-drug operations, according to the quoted source.
In New York, opiate overdoses caused the deaths of more than 2,000 people in 2011 alone, a figure twice as big as the one registered in 2004.
Likewise, an investigation carried out by the New York Attorney General, Eric Scheiderman, revealed that the use of heroin in the US rose by 45% in the 2006-2008 period, according to ABC.
This is why, following in the steps of other states such as Massachusetts, New York hopes to save hundreds of lives by applying the drug to people overdosing on heroin or other opiates, since the drug helps revert the effects of heroin overdose if it's applicated in the first critical minutes of the overdose.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
