Overdose deaths in North Carolina have been rising since 2010, with a 22% increase in deaths in 2021 alone according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. In nearly 40% of overdose deaths, another person was present.

Despite common misconceptions that this epidemic is confined to rural areas or large cities, the rate of opioid-related deaths is fairly consistent across social environments, including the NC State community.

Naloxone, known commonly by its brand name Narcan, is a lifesaving medication that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. It is by far one of the most effective innovations to fight the opioid epidemic.

There must be systems in place that get naloxone as close to those bystanders as possible. It is not enough to wait for first responders to come to an overdose scene and administer naloxone; we must put these resources in the hands of immediate responders like RAs. 

As such, Technician believes that University administrators and Student Government must work to expand Narcan access on campus and increase efforts to proliferate proper training on drug use and overdose first-response procedures.

In 2018, then-Surgeon General Jerome Adams issued an advisory that recommended the regular carrying and administration of naloxone akin to CPR or epinephrine. Additionally, it recommended the expansion of Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution programs. In regions where these programs are strong and accessible, overdose deaths are lower. 

In tandem with Prevention Services’ invaluable overdose education and naloxone training programs, accessibility is vital to combating overdose deaths. Due to the nature of naloxone and overdoses, specifically the rapidity with which naloxone needs to be administered once an overdose occurs, naloxone needs to be as readily available as possible.

Last spring’s Resolution 106, which recommended providing two doses of Narcan to every RA, failed because of a needless consent form students would have been required to fill out granting RAs the right to administer Narcan if they feel it is necessary.

Response time from emergency services is typically around seven minutes and can be even longer depending on day, time, weather and other unpredictable circumstances. The difference between an RA running down a hallway and an ambulance driving to campus is drastic — a difference that can mean life or death for overdose victims.

The first people who will be reasonably able to respond to problems in a dorm such as an overdose are RAs. They are the individuals all students are told to go to for any issues. It is not a far stretch to advise students to call 911 and get their RA if they are near someone who is overdosing.

North Carolina is a Good Samaritan state. Emergency services, including the administration of Narcan, are protected from civil liability by multiple statutes. This means administering life-saving first aid such as CPR, defibrillators and naloxone and being unsuccessful or hurting someone in the process will not lead to legal consequences. 

There is no need for a consent form, and the inclusion of it introduces further barriers to getting life-saving resources to those who need them.

In Technician’s article following R 106’s veto, Student Senate President Stephen McGuinness said, “The student body president, Timothy Reid, and I have been talking about working on that,” McGuinness said. “It is one of our biggest goals and kind of like the top priority starting off this 103rd session.”

Nine months have passed since this promise was made and there is nothing to show for it. It is disappointing that something as basic as Narcan access expansion has yet to be drafted, much less passed. 

However, SG is not who will ultimately put Narcan in the dorms. That responsibility falls on University administrators. Regardless of SG’s recommendation, the University should be taking the initiative to make Narcan readily available in the dorms.

Technician believes SG should renew its efforts to expand access to naloxone to every dorm on campus. The Senate must make good on its promises to pass a stronger, more coherent Narcan bill.

Most importantly, the University must make the effort to expand access, regardless of an SG resolution. Narcan and drug use education has saved countless lives since its recent push for proliferation. Opioid deaths should not be taken lightly, and the University must support its students by providing training to relevant people on campus and providing them with Narcan.