SUQUAMISH — The Suquamish Police Department is believed to be the second law enforcement agency in the State of Washington — Lummi Nation Police were the first — to issue Naloxone to its officers and employees as a tool in their first aid kits.
Naloxone, commonly known by the brand-name Narcan®, is an opioid antagonist which displaces the opioid from receptors in the brain, reversing an opioid overdose. It is not a scheduled drug; it has no euphoric properties and minimal side effects. If it is administered to a person who is not suffering an opioid overdose, it will do no harm. Naloxone has been available as an injectable since the 1960s, but was recently developed as a nasal spray. The Suquamish Police will be using the nasal spray.
In addition to Naloxone, the Suquamish Police Department were also leaders in issuing AED’s (Automatic External Defibrillators) to officers, which has saved several lives in the community, according to Suquamish Police Chief Mike Lasnier.
Opioid overdose has become a leading cause of accidental death in Washington state. Prescription opioid involved overdose deaths increased from 0.4 per 100,000 in 1995 to 7.4 per 100,000 in 2008. The rate dropped to 6.0 per 100,000 in 2010. The three opioids most often involved in overdose deaths are methadone, oxycodone and hydrocodone. Methadone has been involved in the majority of the deaths.
States with higher sales of prescription opioids have higher rates of overdose deaths. Fatal and nonfatal overdose can result from the ingestion of opioids such as morphine, methadone, heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone as found in OxyContin®, Percocet® and Percodan®, and hydrocodone as found in Vicodin®. Heroin in Washington state can vary in purity from 3.5 percent to 55 percent active ingredients; the users have no way of knowing the source or purity of the drug from one purchase to the next.
For officers, the preference when someone is experiencing an overdose is to secure the scene, get the medics on site, and have them transport the person to a hospital, Lasnier said. Sometimes, people use heroin or other opioids in rural or “out of the way places” to avoid detection which makes it hard for a large fire truck to reach them. In other cases the scene is dangerous, and the fire department can’t respond until those dangers have been dealt with by law enforcement.
Nasal Naloxone will “buy time” for the person until the can get the advanced help they need, Lasnier said. It also makes it easier on the officers; CPR can be exhausting work. Naloxone allows officers to quickly assist a patient in extreme distress and restore the vital functions of their body until they can get advanced help. It will only be used if the person is unconscious, unresponsive, and suffering from respiratory distress likely caused by an opioid overdose.
“Some people worry that having access to these emergency antidotes encourages illegal drug use. The majority of opioid overdose deaths are from prescription drugs, not illegal drugs,” Lasnier said. “Those who are addicted to opioids in most cases started by attempting to manage pain or injuries with prescription medication under the care of a doctor, but then became dependent. Research studies have investigated this common concern and found that making Naloxone available does not encourage people to use opiates more.
“The goal of distributing Naloxone and educating people about how to prevent, recognize and intervene in overdoses is to prevent deaths. Other goals, such as decreasing drug use, can only be accomplished if the user is still alive. As law enforcement [officers], we’re in the life saving business. A person can’t go to treatment if they die from a drug overdose.”
The Suquamish Police are partnering with the Savon Pharmacy in the Kingston Albertsons to acquire our Naloxone kits. Dian Poyssick, pharmacy manager, made Nalaxone available. Lasnier said any person who might be at risk of an opioid overdose, or who has friends or family members who are at risk, can purchase a kit there, and receive training from a pharmacist on how to use it to save a life. The kits are not limited to law enforcement.
According to Lasnier, people who call 911 to report someone overdosing will not get in trouble for doing so. “While each situation is different, a person is far more likely to get in trouble if they don’t call 911, and someone dies,” Lasnier said. “Washington State has even passed a law to assure people wouldn’t get in trouble for calling 911 to get someone help.” Here is the link: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=69.50.315
The Tribe is drafting its own “good Samaritan” law and is considering options regarding how to deal with all of the legal and social issues involved. The common practice of the Suquamish Police is to not target people who make a call that saves a life, Lasnier said.
“Making the call won’t forgive every illegal thing you’ve ever done, but we’ll give you quite a bit of consideration for doing the right thing,” he said.
Online: www.stopoverdose.org.
