Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Many factors will have to be addressed before the recent legislation signed into law, requiring all law enforcement officers in the state to carry the overdose antidote drug, Naloxone, can come into play, said Quay County Sheriff Russell Shafer.
Shafer was asked during Monday’s county commission meeting how the department was going to adjust to the recent legislation signed into law on April 6 by Gov. Susana Martinez.
Shafer said the law does not go into effect until July 1, so they have some time to prepare. He said in anticipation of this legislation, he has been working on a policy used by House County in regards to the use of Naloxone.
Shafer said he wants to work with the EMS/ambulance crews or hospital staff on how to house the controlled substance. He said training will be need for the administration of the drug be it the nasal spray or pre-filled syringe.
Shafer said while the legislation has been signed into law by the governor, there still needs to be an explanation on how to fund the purchase of the drug. He said he is unsure about the cost of the narcotic or the requirements for the housing of the Naloxone.
New Mexico is the only state that pharmacists are able to dispense Naloxone without a prescription. The antidote kits are part of the state’s efforts to curb deaths from opioid and heroin overdoses, which were recently noted as a national epidemic.
Dowell said while the drug would give the deputies the means to stop an overdose death, it may just become a revolving cycle with the lack of social programs. She said without the programs in place to help the person address the addiction, one could be administering this to the same people over and over again.
“This is a double-edged sword,” Shafer said. “The addict knows they can overdose, and we will save them. The resources we have are limited and if the overdose problem becomes a prevalent one as it has in other counties, it could become costly.”
Dowell said looking at the services cut just in Quay County the past five years, there is an absence of programs for people in trouble with drugs.