Los Angeles Students To Be Allowed To Carry Narcan In Schools Amid Deadly Fentanyl Crisis

Los Angeles Officials announced that students in the Unified School District will soon be able to carry Narcan nasal spray at school in the event of an overdose.

Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho, reportedly informed school board members Tuesday in an email that the updated policy of the district will allow students the ability to carry the medication during a time when drug cartels have been smuggling deadly Fentanyl across southern borders into the United States.

Narcan “cannot be used to get high, is not addictive and does not have any effect on a person if there are no opioids in their body,” Carvalho wrote to boardmembers, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Carvalho also mentioned that the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health “supports a clarification” In L.A. Unified Policy “that would allow students to be able to carry Narcan in schools,” Officials will soon reissue a revised policy bulletin, he said.

Officials last year issued a district policy regarding Narcan administration. It states that Narcan medication must be administered in accordance with the existing policies. “must be kept at the school in a secure location accessible to designated school personnel.”

According to The Times, Nick Melvoin, a member of the school board, supports the policy update.

“Narcan has the power to save lives and I’ve been working to expand its access to everyone in our school communities, including students themselves,” Melvoin said. “But the increased use of Narcan as a life-saving measure underscores the drug crisis that’s being brought to our schools.”

“We must do more to address the root causes of this crisis and that starts with education and more support for our youth,” He added.

Last year, Report 92% of teens who died due to drug overdoses in 2021 were found to have tested positive for Fentanyl in Los Angeles County. There are 31 other deaths directly related.

Drug Enforcement Administration Last December, the agency had enough fentanyl to kill every American citizen.

Officials claimed that the DEA had seized 50.6 million counterfeit prescription pills laced in fentanyl along with over 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder with only two weeks remaining in the 2022 calendar year.

This is more than the 379 million lethal doses that fentanyl gave out last year. It’s more than enough to kill all 333,000,000 Americans.

Los Angeles Unified announced that last September, after student overdoses, schools will be stocked with Naloxone. This medication, according to medical professionals, could help reduce teenage deaths.

According to district officials, staff have also been trained in administering the nasal spray.

The Times reported that students and their families will have access to online and in-person counseling and workshops on substance abuse starting in February and March.

“Through our existing initiatives, we will educate students and families about the safety and effectiveness of Narcan including the identification signs of an opioid overdose and the importance of alerting medical professionals when Narcan is used,” Carvalho wrote. “We remain committed to expanding access, education and training for this life-saving emergency medication.”