Smyrna Police Receive Donation For Purchase Of Narcan

SMYRNA, GA -- Police have received a donation of more than $6,100 to purchase, furnish and train every Smyrna officer with the use of Narcan. On Thursday, Ms. Yvette Williams presented a check to Chief David Lee on behalf of the Cobb Realty 4 Rehab. Narcan is an anti-opioid treatment with naloxone hydrochloride. The treatment can be administered by injection or by nasal spray. Increasingly, police officers are carrying the shot when they respond to overdose calls.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, it is used along with "emergency medical treatment to reverse the life-threatening effects of a known or suspected opiate (narcotic) overdose." It is commonly referred to the "second-chance" drug because of its ability to reverse an overdose on drugs such as heroin and Percocet.

"It brings people back from the dead," says Josh Marquis, the long-time district attorney for Clatsop County, Oregon and frequent spokesman for the National Association of District Attorneys. "It is incredibly effective."

That effectiveness has led to police departments and emergency medical technicians around the country carrying the drugs in what some call overdose kits.

At the same time, some are concerned it is becoming too easy to get. Maine Governor Paul LePage has vetoed legislation that would have allowed it be given out by pharmacists without a prescription. "Naloxone does not truly save lives; it merely extends them until the next overdose," he said.

Also this past week, police announced a program where residents can dispose of excess and expired prescription and over-the-counter medications through a safe and secure permanent drop off location at the Smyrna Police Department.

• Smyrna Police Introduces Drug Take Back Program

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Alex Costello/Patch