The Biden Administration is calling for all U.S. schools to carry the drug naloxone, a spray to stop opioid overdoses.

Article by Isabel Cantor, Associate Medical Reporter

WASHINGTON - The Biden Administration is working to get the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone, a nasal spray sold under the brand name Narcan, into schools, in response to rising cases of overdoses from opioids. In fact, on Monday, the administration called for all schools in the U.S. to carry this drug.

Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and Miguel Cardona, U.S. Secretary of Education, are both advocating for the Biden Administration’s goal to help with the opioid crisis. “We want to share resources that could help your school and community prevent drug use before it begins and keep students alive long enough to get the help they need in the event of an overdose or poisoning,” said Dr. Rahul Gupta and Miguel Cardona in a letter sent to educators earlier this week.

The Biden Administration’s goal is much easier to accomplish than it would have been last year, because Narcan was approved for over-the-counter use earlier this year by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The hopes of making it easier for people to get access to the life-saving drug was the main reason for this change.

Narcan is a drug that works best closer to the onset of signs of an opioid overdose. It is important to know, however, that this drug only works for opioids. Luckily, although the drug is only effective on opioid users, there are no alternative health effects that would be caused if someone not on opioids used Narcan.

“It will be important for your schools to take advantage of this opportunity, and to encourage families to have naloxone at home,” stated Gupta and Cardona. “Local public health departments, state behavioral health agencies, and state educational agencies can be helpful in working with schools and districts to access naloxone.”