Pubdate: Wed, 02 Apr 2014
Source: Journal News, The (NY)
Copyright: 2014 The Gannett Company, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.lohud.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1205
Author: Jack Mack
Note: The writer is a resident of Croton-on-Hudson.

OVERDOSE ANTIDOTE LEGISLATION COULD SAVE YOUNG LIVES

My son Casey died of an opioid overdose in Westchester County on Labor
Day 2012 when he was 24. No one gave him the antidote to the drug he
had ingested. That antidote is naloxone, brand name Narcan.

Casey's death is part of an epidemic in this country that we are not
acknowledging. Not only our minds, but also our laws and public
policies have not caught up with what is a staggering new reality.
Guess what kills more people: traffic accidents or accidental drug
overdoses? The latter, though you wouldn't know it from our focus on
speeding, well-engineered roads, reducing drunk driving and all the
money we spend on traffic safety. Guess again; which epidemic has more
deaths per year: HIV/AIDS or overdose? Again, the latter, with opioid
overdose deaths alone more than double HIV/AIDS deaths in the U.S.

As a grieving parent, I ask for public acknowledgment of this epidemic
by starting to change laws. I'm not tired of sympathy or finished with
grieving, but I want action, action by you. A bill is pending in the
New York state Legislature that would dramatically increase the
accessibility of naloxone. Please contact your legislators and ask for
their support. This is not a partisan issue. The bill was introduced
by Republican state Sen. Kemp Hannon from Nassau County and by
Democratic Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz from the Bronx. It passed the
New York state Senate unanimously and is now pending in the Assembly.
The vote is imminent in the Legislature, so it's time to contact your
representatives.

Picture this now, put yourself in my shoes. My son or yours is not
breathing with signs of drug use nearby. You don't know how long he's
been out, but you know that the antidote is effective one to three
hours into the overdose. Won't you wish you had some handy? Won't you
wish all first responders carried it on all calls?

You don't have to love people addicted to drugs to be in favor of this
bill, but even people addicted to drugs deserve another chance. As a
society, we rightly go to great lengths to save peoples' lives. Look
at first responders who risk their lives to keep us and our loved ones
alive.

They don't let their own prejudices interfere with their lifesaving
work. Please revive future victims of this epidemic by contacting your
state representatives about this bill.

The writer is a resident of Croton-on-Hudson.
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D