Opioid-related drug overdose deaths continue to rise at an alarming rate and have
reached the level of a national crisis [
[1]
,
[2]
]. Timely administration of naloxone (Narcan®) can reverse the respiratory depression
characteristic of opioid overdoses. A series of state legislative changes have recently
occurred enabling law enforcement to carry and administer naloxone [
[3]
,
[4]
]. Pennsylvania (PA), a state with one of the highest rates of death due to opioid
overdose, enacted PA Act 139 in 2014, which allows first responders to administer
naloxone to people with suspected overdoses and provides immunity to those responding
to and reporting overdoses [
[1]
,
[2]
]. The Act also mandated an online training program – approved by the PA Department
of Health - for police officers in PA [
[2]
].Keywords
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References
- Addressing prescription drug abuse in the United States: Current activities and future opportunities.in: Prescription drug abuse: Reduction efforts and Federal Role. 2015
- Controlled substance, drug, device and cosmetic act-drug overdose response immunity.13. 2014: 139
- Legal changes to increase access to naloxone for opioid overdose reversal in the United States.Drug Alcohol Depend. 2015; 2015 (October): 112-120https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.10.013
- Overview of naloxone access and good Samaritan laws.2017: 18
- Police officers can safely and effectively administer intranasal naloxone.Prehospital Emerg Care. 2016; 20: 675-680https://doi.org/10.1080/10903127.2016.1182605
- Use of naloxone nasal spray 4 mg in the community setting: a survey of use by community organizations.Curr Med Res Opin. 2018; https://doi.org/10.1080/03007995.2017.1334637
- Expanded access to naloxone among firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical technicians in Massachusetts.Am J Public Health. 2014; https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.302062
- Intranasal naloxone administration by police first responders is associated with decreased opioid overdose deaths.Am J Emerg Med. 2015; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2015.05.022
- The opioid epidemic and the role of law enforcement officers in saving lives.Vict Offenders. 2018; https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2018.1514552
Article Info
Publication History
Published online: January 28, 2020
Accepted:
January 27,
2020
Received in revised form:
January 22,
2020
Received:
December 30,
2019
Footnotes
☆The authors have no outside support information, conflicts or financial interest to disclose. This study, in part, was funded by an unrestricted grant, The Dorothy Rider Pool Trust for Health Research and Education community foundation grant (2018). In addition, this was supported by a Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine MEDNet grant (2018). An abstract was presented at the ACEP 2019 Research Forum. This study was IRB approved by the Lehigh Valley Health Network IRB (IRB # STUDY00000054) on 2/16/2018.
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