BUFORD, Georgia – A senator from Georgia wants to provide overdose reversal medication to teachers and other school employees and give them the authority to administer it if necessary.
Following a string of overdoses at Berkmar High School, Sen. Clint Dixon, a representative for the Buford region, reports that he was contacted by multiple parents. His remedy is a measure that would make it more widely available to obtain and deliver the overdose reversal medication Narcan, often known as naloxone.
Opioids such as heroin, fentanyl, and oxycodone can have their effects reversed by that reversal medication. Although teen overdoses are on the rise nationwide, Gwinnett County schools were forced to seek Narcan training after a string of on-campus student overdoses at Berkmar High. DeKalb schools have already begun to do so, and this proposed legislation has gained bipartisan support during the current legislature session.
The CDC reports that overdoses among teenagers aged 14 to 18 rose by 94% in 2019 and then by 20% in 2020 and 2021.
According to Dixon, the law is significant for all kids, not just those who use drugs recreationally or battle addiction.
“Overdoses happen by accident. He stated, “They might come into contact with someone or touch a desk without intending to get contaminated at all.
Naloxone, in his opinion, is also a great place to start when dealing with medical problems that resemble overdoses.
Say it’s not an injection and that it’s just another medical emergency. If so, there aren’t any negative impacts. He stated outside the chambers on Wednesday that there are no other negative effects if Narcan is not used.
Late last year, according to Gwinnett Schools, they began to investigate educating staff members and instructors about Narcan use.
Leaders sent information about a neighborhood event called “Take Back Berkmar” on Wednesday afternoon. School administrators, health department representatives, and local law enforcement will discuss the adolescent fentanyl issue on Friday between 10 a.m. and noon.
