School District Allows Students To Carry Narcan After 15 Student Overdoses This Year

Students at Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland are now allowed to carry Narcan, an opioid blocker that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, according to a Monday press release.

The new rule was signed on May 1 and allows students to carry “personally obtained” Narcan on school grounds, according to WTOP News, a Maryland and DC-based news outlet. So far, there have been 15 incidents where Narcan was administered to students in Montgomery County this year.

Community Engagement Officer Captain Jordan Satinsky told WTOP News that kids know there is an increased chance of fentanyl being in drugs. “It’s not a surprise to them,” he said. “They just don’t understand that it’s almost like Russian roulette.”

In a news conference last month, Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones explained that while overdoses among adults in Montgomery County are going down, overdoses among juveniles are increasing.

Data presented to the Montgomery County Public Safety Committee in February outlined that adolescent (under age 21) overdoses increased by 77% in 2022. There were 48 adolescent overdoses in Montgomery County in 2022, compared to 27 in 2021.

“We’re responding to about 60 opiate overdoses a month, that’s across all ages and all locations, not specific to schools,” Benjamin Kaufman, battalion chief with the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue, told WTOP News. (RELATED: Wisconsin County Sees 17 Opioid Overdose Deaths In Three Days)

“If they are carrying Narcan in school, we want to let them know that they’re not going to get in trouble for that,” said medical officer, Dr. Patricia Kapunan, according to WTOP News.

“Everything is laced with fentanyl today, and it will get you sooner or later,” said Elena Suarez, whose 19-year-old daughter died from an overdose. “What you leave behind is a web of grief, and a life sentence for your families and your loved ones.”

Montgomery County Public Schools did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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