There is a drug that cures drugs. A drug called naloxone can save a drug user's life.
Samantha (no last name) shared how the drug helped awaken an unconscious drug user. "I always have it because I'm scared to death," Samantha said. The "it" she is referring to is Naloxone. Naloxone is referred as the fast acting antidote for opioid overdoses. Samantha is a long-time heroine addict.
Drug use has always been on the streets and it can quickly circulate and affect hundreds if not thousands of lives. Worst, it can claim lives. For years, government and non-government offices have struggled to keep drugs off the street. In an effort to save lives, officials have now turned to an antidote.
Police officers are now being equipped with Naloxone in case they come in contact with an overdosed drug user. Baltimore has trained over 12,000 people for the past 11 years on how to administer the antidote. "If someone is using a drug that could kill them, they should also have the antidote available," as said in a statement released by Leana Wen, the city's health commissioner.
According to a survey published in June of this year, 80% of overdose victims were rescued by other users because of the antidote drug they have on hand.
Chicago, San Francisco and New York have also followed suit.
Does the antidote encourage more drug uses though? This is being seen as a somewhat temporary measure to decrease the number of deaths from overdose. However, those who recovered because of the anitdote have returned to drug use. Rescuers have also expressed frustration for having to rescue the same drug users time and time again. Yes, it's a successful antidote but the drug use still remains at large.
In the real world, a life changing event can become a motivator to drive a person to live and make better choices. For Derrick Hunt, city director for Community Risk Reduction, he says "You want to keep the person alive, until they make better choices" as reported by Washington Post.
