Law Enforcement Partnerships Prevent Overdose Deaths

The statistics are grim. Prescription drug overdoses are up for the 11th straight year, and according to the CDC, 44 people die every day from a prescription drug overdose-- usually involving opioid painkillers, like Oxycodone. Increasingly, patients who become addicted to prescription painkillers turn to heroin as a cheaper equivalent. The surge in demand for heroin has led to a surge in the use of adulterants like fentanyl, which in turn is causing surging heroin-related deaths. The bright side is that people who do recover from opioid overdoses, and receive counseling and resources during their time of crisis, are more likely to make the effort to overcome their addiction. Law enforcement and first responders can be a key piece of that "intervention moment" when they are trained to administer Naloxone nasal spray (often known by its brand name of Narcan). Naloxone doesn’t substitute for emergency care but provides more time for medical units to arrive and treat the victim.

Washington's Lummi tribe was among the first in the nation to make Naloxone kits, along with prevention and education training, standard for law enforcement. The tribe acted in response to an"epidemic of drug overdose and death due to illegal drug use by community members of all backgrounds." In partnership with Lummi public health agencies, Lummi Nation police officers were trained to recognize the signs of opioid overdose and to respnd appropriately. Within six weeks of training, officers had prevented three deaths.

Recently, the Suquamish tribe announced a partnership to equip and train all officers, as well as members of the general public with Naloxone kits. When these tribal communities saw an increase in prescription drug abuse and then heroin use, the tribal governments, health departments, law enforcement and community members put their heads together as to how to respond. The tribal councils passed "Good Samaritan" laws to ensure that someone trying to help would not be liable for the outcome. Tribes worked with local pharmacies to keep supplies of the kits available, and to distribute kits and training to individuals.

Tribal first responders may need to work around state laws regarding the administration of Naloxone, especially where cross-jurisdictional agreements are in place. However, with federal encouragement, states are increasingly likely to encourage the widespread use of Naloxone in emergency situations.

Minnesota Tribes Battling Flood of Heroin

Read the whole story at Indian Country Today Media Network. The news from the Minnesota tribes is grim, but there are solutions to be found in education and community coalitions that battle this problem, starting with preventing and treating prescription painkiller addiction.  Besides destroying the user's life and health, heroin use results in increased crime, HIV and hepatitis infections, and children living in filthy and dangerous environments. Tribes are working with county, state and federal officials to turn this around, but they also need help from all concerned community members, from caregivers to teachers and from health care workers to law enforcement officers and Tribal courts.

Dangerous New Drug Made from OTC Ingredients

We sounded the warning over a year ago that abuse of prescription painkillers would lead to an uptick in heroin addiction and unhappily, our predictions are coming through. Opiate addicts are turning to cheap Mexican heroin when they can no longer afford the prescription drugs. Seasoned drug enforcement officers predict that prices will slowly climb for the heroin. What will users do then?

The DEA is concerned that we might see the trend that has been horrifying Russians, just as they thought they had stemmed the tide of heroin from Kazakhstan and Afghanistan. Deprived of their drug of choice, heroin addicts are turning to a vile, but inexpensive, recipe of over-the-counter drugs and household chemicals called Krokodil. The street name for this morphine-analog comes from the common side effect of scaly green skin as the user's body rots from the inside out. Click below to see a disturbing video about how Krokodil has been destroying lives in Siberia. Let's not let it happen in Indian Country!