Dedham police started carrying Narcan on Dec. 4, and in the first month, they used it five times to reverse five potentially fatal opioid overdoses.
The Dedham Police Department is now offering to train the public on how to administer the antioverdose medication naloxone — better known by the brand name Narcan — which comes in the form of a nasal spray and can be purchased at pharmacies (and from certain organizations) without a prescription.
To learn how to use the product, contact Officer Jason Sullivan at 781-751-9300 or jsullivan@police.dedham-ma.gov.
Dedham police are also trying to raise the public’s awareness of the state’s Good Samaritan Law (Massachusetts General Law Chapter 94C, Section 34A), which protects people who call 911 to report an overdose from being charged with drug possession, and prevents the overdosed victim from being prosecuted for drug possession as well. The police will distribute literature about this law in an effort to allay people’s fears about calling 911.
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“Narcan is a safe, potentially lifesaving drug, and we recognize its importance as part of a drug-fighting arsenal,” Dedham Police Chief Michael J. d’Entremont said in a release. “We will never arrest our way out of the nationwide heroin and opioid abuse problem, and we must take a realistic approach in responding to it.”