WASHINGTON, D.C. - This week, the Biden administration sent a letter urging schools to carry naloxone, an overdose reversal drug, to protect students from fentanyl poisonings and opioid overdoses. As a pharmacist, I was glad to see our president finally taking some action on the fentanyl crisis, which is killing almost 200 people per day in this country.
If a plane crashed today and killed 200 people, we would immediately ground all flights until we discovered the cause. A letter would not be enough. Similarly, we need more decisive action from our commander-in-chief on the fentanyl crisis, which is stealing the lives of friends and family members in every community in every state.
We don’t need guidance, we need assurances. That’s why, back in June, I introduced a bill based off legislation out of Arkansas that would require elementary and secondary schools to carry naloxone. Wherever you see a defibrillator, you should see naloxone. It’s safe, effective, easy to use, and could save a life.
In Case You Missed It, I discussed the fentanyl poisoning epidemic and how my Saving Lives in Schools Act will add teeth to the Biden administration’s guidance:
Click here to watch the full interview
"There’s two problems here. First of all, the amount of fentanyl that’s coming across [our southern] border, that’s why we need to secure our border. Secondly, the amount of fentanyl that’s in this country right now."
"Naloxone is one of the tools in our tool chest…if used quickly enough, it can reverse the effects of fentanyl poisoning. That’s why I have legislation, Saving Lives in Schools Act, that would require it to be in every school in America."
"I carry [naloxone] in my backpack everywhere I go, it’s a necessity now…it should be in every medicine cabinet and every emergency box in America."
Click here to watch the full interview
HOST: “Over the past two decades, more than 5,000 adolescents have died from overdoses. Georgia Congressman Buddy Carter has been pushing for Narcan in the schools…”
CARTER: “All of us, everyone, knows someone or has a family member who has suffered from addiction…we all know it, and we see it all the time.”
Read more about my Saving Lives in Schools Act, including the Arkansas bill it was modeled after, here.
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