Heroin antidote will save lives in Missouri
Editorial written for Political Science 326: State Government in the fall of 2014. This course fulfills the "Upper Level Writing Requirement."
Missouri is in the midst of a heroin epidemic. Don’t believe me? In 2001, eighteen people died as a result of a heroin overdose in Missouri (Washington Times, 2014). Eighteen people too many. By 2013, that number jumped to 210 people, a 1,167% increase in heroin overdoses in just 12 years (Washington Times, 2014). Two hundred and ten people too many.
Still not convinced? In 1993, the Missouri Department of Mental Health reported 776 people were admitted for heroin abuse treatment in Missouri (Washington Times, 2014). Twenty years later, that number ballooned 700% to 5,635 people (Washington Times, 2014). The period between 2010 to 2012 makes up for approximately 112% of that increase (Missouri, 2013). One could argue that the state is experiencing an increase in multiple kinds of drug use, but during those same two years of 2010 to 2012, admittances to substance abuse treatment programs due to alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine increased less than 85% (Missouri, 2013).
Heroin is in a league of its own.
And at a time when heroin is substantially cheaper than other prescription pain killers (DiSalvo, 2014), and its price continues to fall (Morin, 2013), it becomes clear that Missouri needs to provide help to its citizens suffering from heroin addiction and overdoses each year. Part of the solution is the passage of House Bill No. 2040 (HB2040) which will allow first responders to obtain a heroin antidote, called naloxone.
Naloxone is an opioid antagonist that can reduce or reverse the symptoms of a heroin overdose (Washington Times, 2014). Currently in the state of Missouri, naloxone is difficult to obtain. Only medical directors can order and administer the drug to someone experiencing an overdose (Washington Times, 2014). HB2040 would allow for wider access to naloxone by defining “qualified first responder agencies” as “any state or local law enforcement agency, fire department, or ambulance service that provides documented training to its staff related to the administration of naloxone or opiate overdose situation” (Missouri, 2014).
Broadening the definition of who can access naloxone is not a new or experimental state policy. Because the heroin epidemic is happening nationwide (Abuse, 2014), many states have enacted laws like HB2040. In 2013 alone, 10 states passed laws allowing increased access to naloxone (Naloxone, 2014). And as of July 31 of this year, 24 states had some version of a naloxone access law (Naloxone, 2014).
Last year, Vermont became the thirteenth state to expand access to this potentially life-saving drug (Castillo, 2014). Within the year, Vermont State Troopers reported witnessing “successful revivals” of people from heroin overdoses (Thurston, 2014). "It (naloxone) brought that person from the jaws of death and breathed life into him,” said the commander of the Vermont State Police about one state trooper’s experience with the drug.
Naloxone’s success caused U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to call for an increase in its use. "I am confident that expanding the availability of naloxone has the potential to save the lives, families and futures of countless people across the nation,” he said in a written statement over the summer (Thurston, 2014).
That statement also included this incredible statistic: that increased access to naloxone has resulted in “over 10,000 overdose reversals since 2001” (Thurston, 2014). It’s no wonder the Attorney General felt comfortable recommending the drug to states across the country. There are also very few side effects to naloxone. A 2006 study in Chicago found that of 6,000 naloxone doses distributed, 440 people experienced “reversals” from an overdose, and “no fatalities or adverse reactions had yet been reported” (Strang et al, 2006).
Criticism of naloxone access laws is typically related to who will be able to obtain and administer the drug to someone experiencing the heroin overdose and whether there is immunity from civil liability or criminal prosecution for the administrator. Each of the 24 states with naloxone access laws differs in this regard. The harshest critique follows laws that allow naloxone to be administered by family or friends of someone with a heroin addiction. Some fear that more harm than good can come if the person giving the naloxone is poorly trained or if the drug becomes too widely available (Byrne, 2006). These are valid concerns, but they do not apply to Missouri’s proposal. HB2040 only increases access of naloxone to first responders, who already have extensive medical training. After the passage of HB2040, if Missouri sees a meaningful reduction in the number of lives saved due to naloxone distribution, legislators could look at data for states with even broader access laws to determine if non-medical personnel, like family members, should have the ability to administer the drug.
Missouri’s heroin epidemic is devastating communities across the state. HB2040 won’t halt or reverse this horrible trend, but it can impact the number of lives saved and families kept together. Nearly half of the U.S. has already chosen to increase access to this life-saving drug. With few side effects from naloxone and promising data from states with these laws, there is no reason Missouri should not pass HB2040.
Works Cited
Abuse of Prescription Pain Medications Risks Heroin Use (2014, January). In National Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved October, 2014, from http://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/infographics/abuse-prescription-pain-medications-risks-heroin-use
Castillo, T. (2013, June 5). A Proud Day for Vermont: A Proud Year for Overdose Prevention Advocates. In Huffington Post. Retrieved October, 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tessie-castillo/new-jersey-celebrates-an-_b_3225628.html
DiSalvo, David. "Why Is Heroin Abuse Rising While Other Drug Abuse Is Falling?." Forbes. 2014. Accessed September 17, 2014. http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2014/01/14/why-is-heroin-abuse-rising-while-other-drug-abuse-is-falling/.
Missouri Department of Mental Health. "Heroin-Related Deaths in Missouri." Last modified 2011. Accessed September 17, 2014. http://dmh.mo.gov/docs/ada/rpts/Bulletins/Bulletin2011JanHeroinDeaths.pdf.
Missouri State Government. "House Bill No. 2040." Last modified 2014. Accessed September 17, 2014. http://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills141/billpdf/truly/HB2040T.PDF.
Morin, Monte. "Illegal drug prices falling as purity, potency rise, research finds." Los Angeles Times. 2013. http://articles.latimes.com/2013/oct/01/science/la-sci-sn-illegal-drugs-prices-purity-20131001.
Naloxone Overdose Prevention Laws Map (2014). In Law Atlas. Retrieved October, 2014, from http://lawatlas.org/query?dataset=laws-regulating-administration-of-naloxone#.VDGAbSldWKw
Strang, J., Kelleher, M., Best, D., Mayet, S., & Manning, V. (2006, September 23). Emergency Naloxone for Heroin Overdoses [Electronic version]. British Medical Journal, 333(7569).
Thurston, J. (2014, July 31). With Overdose Deaths Rising, U.S. Attorney General Pushes Naloxone. In NECN. Retrieved October, 2014, from http://www.necn.com/news/health/With-Overdose-Deaths-Rising-US-Attorney-General-Pushes-Naloxone-269464791.html
Washington Times. "Gov. Nixon signs bill on heroin overdose antidote." 2014. Accessed September 17, 2014. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jul/3/nixon-signs-bill-on-heroin-overdose-antidote/.