Terre Haute, Ind. – Today the Indiana Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Task Force supported a training program that will educate Indiana State University (ISU) campus law enforcement on the use of intra-nasal naloxone for opiate/heroin overdose emergencies. The event was hosted by ISU, in conjunction with the Rural Health Innovation Collaborative.
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller, who co-chairs the task force, said ISU is the first institution of higher learning in the state to embrace this opportunity.
Last year, Zoeller supported the passing of Senate Enrolled Act 227 which gives legal immunity to first responders who administer Naloxone, a life-saving treatment that counteracts the effects of a prescription painkiller or heroin overdose. Today, law enforcement agencies across the state that have implemented Naloxone into their standard equipment have helped to save countless Hoosier lives. The Attorney General’s Office is aware of at least 138 times law enforcement officers have saved Hoosier lives by administering Naloxone since the law passed in 2014. Additionally, the Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services (EMS) estimates that its responders have used Naloxone on victims nearly 1,000 times during the same time frame.
The Attorney General’s Office is working to bring awareness that the Naloxone antidote will cause no lasting harm, even if the medication was used on a person not suffering from an overdose, to overcome some law enforcement concerns of unintended consequences in administering the drug.
“The rise in prescription drug and heroin overdoses is a result of the opioid addition epidemic in Indiana and across the United State and college campuses are certainly not immune. I hope that other law enforcement and first responders in Indiana will follow suit and we can continue to build knowledge and save Hoosier lives,” said Attorney General Zoeller.
Zoeller is grateful to ISU and other law enforcement agencies across the state that have administered Naloxone programs and saved lives. He urges others to follow their lead and take advantage of the resources on BitterPill.in.gov. The website contains a toolkit to assist law enforcement and other first responders in setting up community Naloxone training programs.
Joining Zoeller at the training today was Senator Jim Merritt, co-author of the Indiana Lifeline Law, which gives underage individuals legal immunity from crimes like minor consumption if they call for medical help in an emergency situation. The goal of this law is to make sure no one hesitates to call for help if a friend has had too much to drink because they fear getting arrested. Last year, as a result of the rising rate of heroin-related deaths, Indiana legislators expanded the Lifeline Law to address drug use as well as alcohol abuse. The Lifeline Law now encourages first responders and law enforcement officers to carry and administer Naloxone.
In 2012, Zoeller launched the task force made up of state legislators, law enforcement, members of the medical community, health officials, pharmacists, state and local agencies and education providers. The goal of the task force is to significantly reduce the abuse of controlled prescription drugs and to decrease the number of deaths associated with these drugs in Indiana.
Following the creation of the Task Force, the Attorney General’s Office launched a statewide public awareness campaign highlighting the dangers of prescription drug abuse which included radio, television, print and the website, www.Bitterpill.IN.gov.
