TO THE EDITOR:
According to the Center for Disease Control, prescription drug overdoses now cause more deaths in the U.S. than cocaine and heroin combined. By 2017, drug overdose is expected to surpass motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of death in North Carolina. This country is facing a growing epidemic of nonmedical prescription drug use, and yet there has been a dearth of overdose prevention education on college campuses.
College students in particular find themselves in a precarious position. Oblivious parents who don’t keep track of their own meds, sympathetic doctors who are all too willing to provide clients and patients with quick fixes and broke peers looking to earn some money on the side make for easy access to drugs. Combine this with the incredibly high standards that young adults are expected to live up to these days, and it becomes clear why so many college students find themselves relying on prescription drugs as both study aids and escapes.
University officials and student organizations should actively work with overdose prevention programs like the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition to maintain the health of our students. While it may not be possible to stop students from selling and using in the first place, there is an easy way to prevent overdoses: allow student access to naloxone (also known as Narcan).
Narcan is a non-addictive medication that reverses drug overdoses caused by opiates and can be administered through intramuscular injection or nasal spray. Narcan is a safe, effective solution because it can save the life of someone overdosing on prescription opiates or heroin, but it will have no effect if that person doesn’t have opiates in their system. Under N.C. Senate Bill 20, which aims to reduce unintentional overdose fatalities in North Carolina, a person can administer Narcan without fear of criminal or civil liability. In addition, if a witness calls for help for an overdose victim, they will not be prosecuted for a small amount of drugs or drug paraphernalia at the scene of an overdose.
The law has not been fully adopted by the UNC system, but we as a student body cannot wait. Student organizations in Greek life and housing can take matters into their own hands by educating residents, sorority sisters and fraternity brothers on overdose prevention and allow greater access to naloxone. To set up your own free, in-house training, contact the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition.
Margaret Foster ’15
History
