Dylan Sciacca | Reporter
Narcan should be carried everywhere. There should also be a law to have one ready at every public social gathering place, including bars, clubs, sit-down restaurants, all concerts big and small and even house parties.
Narcan, or naloxone, is an over-the-counter drug used to treat known or possible opioid overdose. Narcan comes as a nasal (nose) spray with each container holding one dose.
Once it is sprayed, it quickly attaches to opioid receptors in the brain, blocking and displacing the opioids causing the overdose. This can restore normal breathing in minutes, saving a life.
From 2014 to 2022, drug overdose deaths increased each year. While there has been a small decline in recent years, drug-related overdoses are still a large problem America faces today. In 2025 there were more than 70,000 people who died from an overdose. At least 20,000 of these deaths were people under 30 years old.
This shows that having a healthy, younger body does not make you immune to a life-threatening overdose.
Younger people, especially in college, are drawn to new and exciting things, and that is something that will never change. About 38% of college students reported using illicit drugs in the past year.
The goal is not to stop people from doing drugs, the goal is to stop people dying from drugs.
We often hear things on the news and think the events happening are something that will never happen to us, but the people involved in the stories we hear probably thought the same thing. Having Narcan on standby could be the difference between life and death.
Recently, a drug called chlorophane has grown in popularity. It is invisible to common harm reduction testing tools, making emergency personnel and health agencies emphasize that if an overdose occurs, Narcan must be applied immediately.
However, due to how potent the chlorophane is, multiple doses of Narcan are often required to restore breathing.
In the past month, two college students have died from an expected chlorophane contributed overdose.
Events like these show how easy it can be to go from a fun night out to a tragedy. When life or death is at hand, Narcan is often the difference. Similar to how public places need to keep first aid and fire extinguishers, Narcan should be along with the mandatory items.
It is important to have this information out to everyone, especially to college-aged students, where drugs are more prominent. Having awareness about the problem and having Narcan ready in any situation, we can stop overdoses and save more lives than we do today.
