LEHI, Utah, Mar. 23, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — The Lehi City Police Department is offering free naloxone, a drug that can immediately counter the affects of a narcotic drug overdose.
“Many of our families have loved ones that may struggle with addiction and are at risk of an overdose,” according to a departmental post on social media offering the free antidote available at the police station.
“If you don’t have naloxone on hand there is not much you can do to help save your loved one other than calling 911 immediately to get help on the way.”
All Lehi police officers carry the drug with them “and can administer it very quickly but they may be in a part of the city that is not near where you may need them.”
No questions asked and no judgment, police said. “This is about saving the lives of our loved ones in this community … Don’t be intimidated by the kit or the needles, you will be provided with the very short training, literally just a minute or two, that you would need to intervene in an opiate overdose.”
Statistically, more than 80 percent of drug-poisoning deaths in Utah are believed to be accidental, police said, and many of these deaths are from narcotics and naloxone has proven to be a life-saver.
According to the CDC website, naloxone is a life-saving medication that can reverse an overdose from opioids — including heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications, when given in time. “Naloxone is easy to use and small to carry. There are two forms of naloxone that anyone can use without medical training or authorization: pre-filled nasal spray and injectable.”
Naloxone is an “opioid antagonist,” according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Naloxone can quickly restore normal breathing to a person if their breathing has slowed or stopped because of an opioid overdose. But, naloxone has no effect on someone who does not have opioids in their system.”
