Mercer County Police Departments to Receive Heroin Antidote Thursday

Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph L. Bocchini Jr. will distribute approximately 600 kits containing Narcan, the aerosol form of the heroin overdose antidote naloxone, to police departments from across the county on Thursday.

Bocchini, Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman, Mercer County Sheriff Jack Kemler and representatives from municipal police departments from around the county will be on hand for the distribution, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office announced on Tuesday.

The distribution takes place at 10 a.m. at the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, 1589 Lamberton Road in Trenton.

Last year, legislators passed the Opioid Antidote and Overdose Prevention Act, which made it legal for law enforcement officials to carry Naloxone/Narcan, a heroin antidote previously only available to hospital staff.

The Prosecutor’s Office began training 40 officers from departments across the county on how to administer the antidote in September, according to nj.com. Those officers will train other officers in their departments.

There were 35 deaths related to heroin overdoses last year.

The attached image is a Patch file photo.