Deputies to carry heroin antidote

Sheriff Jack Welsh announced January 28 that Lenawee County sheriff deputies have begun carrying Naloxone, a life-saving drug that can reverse the effects of potentially fatal overdoses from drugs such as heroin.

In January, deputies received training on Naloxone and have started phasing in kits on patrol last week. When needed, deputies will be able to administer Naloxone to individuals while on patrol, even to patients who may be unconscious. In order to administer the drug, deputies spray the drug in mist form through each nostril of the victim. Naloxone combats the effects of heroin and other opiates, such as morphine, methadone, codeine, fentanyl, oxycodone and hydrocodone.

Welsh’s objective is to use Naloxone to combat the growing heroin problem in Lenawee County, indicated by information given by the Lenawee Substance Abuse and Prevention Coalition and the Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority. Funding was given by the Community Mental Health Partnership of Southeast Michigan to equip officers with the drug.

Undersheriff Jim Anderson said the department is focused on reducing the amount of heroin overdose deaths in the county by the use of Naloxone. “Welsh has been very concerned about the heroin problem in the county for years now,” Anderson said.

Naloxone works by blocking the effects of an opiate on the brain and is safe to use, according to data presented on the website naloxoneinfo.org. All deput- ies must receive training on the drug, and training on the policy that goes along with it.

Anderson said deputies often arrive on the scene of a reported heroin overdose before rescue or paramedic crews do, so having Naloxone in vehicles will reduce the chances that victims will die of an overdose while waiting for medical care to arrive. “Time is of the essence in these situations,” Anderson said. “Deputies might find someone parked along the side of the road with someone passed out in it, and can use Naloxone to help.”

Anderson speculates heroin addiction is growing in Lenawee County, based on an increase in the number of arrests and an increase in number of overdoses that have been reported. He added the sheriff’s department is doing everything it can to stop the problem from growing.

“We’re involved in the enforcement side of it, so hopefully this rescue drug will save lives,” Anderson said.