WHAT WE CAN DO NOW TO PREVENT AND TREAT DRUG OVERDOSES

More than 100 people have died in recent months from overdoses of
fentanyl-laced heroin, and the death toll will continue to climb this
summer. Policymakers have been like deer caught in the headlights,
but there are simple, inexpensive public health measures that can be
enacted to save lives. Studies have consistently found that most
heroin overdose fatalities occur among longtime users with heavy
dependence. Most fatalities involve use of alcohol or other
depressants along with heroin. Many fatal overdoses also occur in the
presence of witnesses, yet help rarely arrives until more than three
hours after the overdose. The No. 1 reason given for not calling for
help earlier is fear of police and criminal sanctions.

I know this last fact all too well. One summer, when I was 18, my
friends and I bought several cases of beer and rented out a hotel
room. We got quite drunk and stupid. This is a common youth
experience that people love to talk about. What happened next is also
a common youth experience, but people are usually too ashamed to talk about it.

A good friend passed out very early in the evening, which was unlike
her. Someone said she had been doing cocaine at a previous party and
might be overdosing. None of us knew anything about cocaine or its
interaction with alcohol. We tried slapping her face to wake her up,
but it didn't work. Someone suggested calling 911, but others warned
she would go to jail for cocaine use and we would all go to jail for
underage drinking. Several people said she was probably just drunk
and needed to sleep it off.

A friend picked up the phone and was about to call 911, but several
people urged him not to. He paused and looked at me for an answer. My
other friends did too. I don't know why the decision came down to me.
Based on the advice of a 19-year-old girl who worked in a hospital, I
decided not to call 911. My friend turned out fine.

Twenty years later, I'm still haunted by that night. What if she had
died? I've talked to dozens of people from all walks of life and
heard similar stories. The most heartbreaking stories are when young
people spend an hour debating whether to call 911, finally make the
call, but are 15 minutes too late.

Tragedies like this are why I am involved in drug policy reform. No
one should ever be afraid to call 911 when their friend might be overdosing.

Policymakers have their work cut out for them, but there are six
things they can do right now to reduce overdose deaths:

- Establish 911 "Good Samaritan" policies that shield people who are
using alcohol or other drugs from prosecution when they seek help for a friend.

- Provide people coming out of jail or drug treatment with overdose
prevention materials and education.

- Train first responders and law enforcement (including correctional
workers) how to respond to drug overdoses and save lives.

- Make naloxone (a short-acting opiate antagonist that can reverse
the effects of an overdose) widely available. Law enforcement and
first responders should carry it.

- Fund harm-reduction programs that work with drug users to prevent
drug overdoses. Their work, which ranges from warning people not to
use drugs alone to training them in CPR and rescue breathing, is
crucial to saving lives.

- Establish grant programs to help cities and counties establish
overdose prevention programs.

Thousands of people overdose from alcohol and other drugs each year.
Their deaths are preventable, but only if policymakers step up to the
plate. Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, for instance, has just introduced
legislation to provide states with the money they need to save lives.
Elected officials at all levels need to take action.