As Adolescent Overdoses Rise, States Move to Put Naloxone in Schools

As overdose deaths among adolescents climb nationwide, a growing number of states are moving to ensure schools can keep and administer overdose reversal medications such as naloxone查看药品详情. The push comes amid stark data showing that more than 700 teens died from overdoses in 2022 and 2023, compared with just 282 in 2019, according to KFF, a source for health policy research and news.

Overdose reversal medication was not administered in 70 percent of fatal overdoses for adolescents ages 10-19, despite a bystander being present in two-thirds of the cases, according to a review of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ohio Enacts a Law Allowing Naloxone in Schools

In Ohio, legislation clarifying that K-12 schools may carry and administer naloxone查看药品详情 or Narcan查看药品详情 was signed by the governor and went into effect in January. State Rep. Dontavius Jarrells, D-Columbus, one of the cosponsors of House Bill 57, said the legislation was proposed by a constituent whose school-aged son died from an overdose.

"The reality is, we are seeing more and more younger kids getting their hands on substances," Jarrells said. "Whether it's vapes, marijuana that's laced with fentanyl查看药品详情 or other products, students are unknowingly taking substances that can cause an overdose."

Some schools in Ohio stocked Narcan查看药品详情 and similar medications before the bill took effect, but the lack of legislation surrounding it created a grey area about what was allowed and what was not. "It was a no-man's land in terms of what was allowed or permitted," Jarrells said. "One of the first steps was level-setting with schools."

While Ohio's law only states schools may carry drug reversal medication, Jarrells said the legislation could be revisited to further encourage its implementation. According to Summit County Public Health, there are currently no schools in the county that directly distribute naloxone查看药品详情, though several have NaloxBoxes — wall-mounted cabinets containing naloxone and instructions on how to respond to an overdose — according to Megan Scott, a Behavioral Health Services supervisor.

Regulatory and Federal Support for School Access

In 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (搜索)搜索该词条 approved naloxone查看药品详情 nasal spray as an over-the-counter drug, safe to use for opioid overdoses. Since then, the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy and the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration have expressed support for keeping it in schools.

All students should have equitable access to overdose reversal medication if an overdose occurs in a school environment, the National Association of School Nurses said in a statement. Registered professional nurses' expertise is necessary to implement the procedures for overdose reversal care, the statement said.

Kansas and Missouri Bills Fall Short

In Kansas, HB 2489 would have required school districts to have naloxone查看药品详情 supplies available and ordered the state Board of Education to develop guidance for instruction on the prevention of fentanyl查看药品详情 and other opioid abuse. The bill passed the House in February but died in a Senate committee in April.

Stacey Rogers, who lost her son to a fentanyl查看药品详情 overdose in 2022, said the bill addressed the crisis in a realistic and lifesaving way. "It combines prevention through education with preparedness through access to naloxone查看药品详情," she said.

Fentanyl查看药品详情 is extremely lethal, and counterfeit fentanyl may be mixed in or cut with other drugs, such as cocaine and Percocet. "A lot of the people who are dying don't know that they're taking fentanyl," said Kansas state Rep. Pat Proctor, R-Leavenworth, one of the bill's sponsors. Proctor said the money to provide naloxone查看药品详情 to schools would have come from opioid settlements at the national and state levels.

In Missouri, HB 3113 would have mandated that public buildings keep Narcan查看药品详情 on hand and make reasonable efforts to notify occupants of its location. "It is a vital piece of legislation designed to address the escalating crisis of fentanyl查看药品详情 poisoning in Missouri," bill sponsor Rep. Ann Kelley, R-Lamar, said at a committee hearing in February. "Deaths due to fentanyl have increased by over 300 percent in recent years, with thousands of lives lost to this silent killer."

The bill would also have modified the Drug-Free Schools Program, calling for the development of education programs about fentanyl查看药品详情 poisoning for students in grades six through 12. The bill passed the House in April but did not make it through the Senate before the session ended.

Prevention and Preparedness as Students Return to School

As students across South Dakota head back to the classroom, safety advocates are urging families to have a conversation about fentanyl查看药品详情. Emily's Hope (搜索)搜索该词条 provides a K-through-12 prevention curriculum designed to help families and educators recognize the warning signs of substance use before it is too late.

"Eight years ago, we developed the Emily's Hope (搜索)搜索该词条 Substance Use Prevention Curriculum with a panel of experts," founder Angela Kennecke, who lost her daughter Emily to fentanyl查看药品详情 poisoning, said. "And now, thanks to a transformative grant from the Department of Social Services using opiate settlement dollars, Emily's Hope is able to offer that curriculum for free to all schools in South Dakota."

The curriculum starts in kindergarten and runs through 12th grade, often integrated into lessons by school counselors, classroom teachers, or school nurses.

While prevention is the long-term goal, first responders emphasize that knowing how to act during an active overdose is a short-term lifesaver. The Rapid City Fire Department demonstrated how simple it is for an average citizen to administer nasal naloxone查看药品详情: remove the nasal spray device from the kit, place the tip into one of the patient's nostrils, and press the button on the bottom to release the medication.

To make sure students are protected, Emily's Hope (搜索)搜索该词条 is encouraging parents — especially those sending teenagers off to college — to equip their children with a rescue kit before the semester begins. "One thing that we would encourage all families to do is send them with a naloxone查看药品详情 kit," Kennecke urged. "And they can pick up their free naloxone kit right when you walk into the front doors of Monument Hospital. You don't have to talk to anybody or say anything, you just pick up a couple of them. Send them with your kids to college."