Life-Saving Overdose Reversal Naloxone In Schools: MN's Proposal To Combat Opioid Epidemic

As the opioid epidemic continues to take its toll across the country, Minnesota lawmakers are advocating for schools to have access to naloxone, a life-saving medicine that can reverse a fentanyl overdose when administered quickly, reported CBS News.

Under the new proposal, each school would be required to keep two doses Narcan spray in stock. The FDA approved Narcan, the nasal spray version of Nalaxone, to be sold over the counter (OTC) in March.

The two-state House and Senate spending packages, which are subject to end-of-session budget negotiations, contain the policy and funding necessary to support the newest policy change.

"We simply cannot tolerate more needless loss of life. We have to act with urgency and we have to act now," Sen. Kelly Morrison, DFL-Deephaven," said. "We are thrilled that finally, our bill is close to making it all the way to becoming law in Minnesota."

The move comes on the heels of the Biden administration officially designating fentanyl combined with xylazine as an emerging threat to the United States.

At the federal level, similar legislation titled School Access to Naloxone Act, co-authored by U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, seeks to encourage other states follow Minnesota's footsteps.

"It's just simply allows [the bill] schools to apply for dollars that currently exist," Phillips said last week. "And it's actually quite easy and easily accessible, but right now, they are precluded from doing so."

Having Naloxone At The Ready Saves Lives

A recent incident in New York at New Rochelle High School proved the necessity of naloxone in schools.

A high school student collapsed suddenly after using a cannabis vape pen, which police now suspect was laced with the deadly opioid fentanyl. The school nurse quickly administered the opioid antidote Narcan, saving the teen's life.

Medical Cannabis In Schools

Meanwhile, schools across the nation are working on new rules for enabling medical marijuana patients safe access to their cannabis treatments.

At a recent Raleigh County Schools Board of Ed meeting, assistant superintendent Serena Starcher and school health director Angie Foster presented new regulations for medication administration and storage – standards for the possession and use of medical cannabis by a student, writes the Register-Herald, Beckley, W.Va.

Starcher and Foster also brought up the question of changing regulations to allow for the administration of naloxone when needed during school.

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