On March 29, the United States Food and Drug Administration announced their approval of Narcan, a naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray, to be sold without prescription in order to combat the sweeping epidemic of opioid overdose in America.

Opioids are a class of drugs regularly prescribed by doctors to treat pain. Some common prescription opioids are oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, and methadone. Other types consist of heroin and synthetic opioid fentanyl.

Narcan is the standard medication for opioid overdose. The transition to it being sold off the shelf in places like convenience stores, grocery stores, and drug stores, is a big step in a battle to save lives.

This call to action is due to the harrowing effects of these dangerous drugs whose potency, according to the CDC, is responsible for 187 deaths every day in the United States.

According to Shannon Gordhamer, social worker for the Office of The Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of California, “There were 625 fatal overdoses, as well as thousands of non-fatal overdoses, in 2021 alone – right here in San Francisco.”

She added, “The use of naloxone, generic for Narcan, is a key component in the city’s efforts to combat the epidemic of overdoses that have made San Francisco County the leader in overdose deaths in California.”

Naloxone is an opioid receptor antagonist which, when administered in time, can offset the effects of an overdose. An overdose occurs when the drugs bind to the opioid receptors in the brain, causing respiratory depression and stopping the lungs from supplying enough oxygen to the blood. Naloxone restores breathing by knocking the opioid out of the receptor and creating a stronger bond to reverse the effects.

Additionally, Narcan can be administered nasally with no prior training. If it is given to someone who is not experiencing an overdose, it will not cause harm.

Science instructor Colleen O’Rourke stated, “I think it’s very important because it itself does not work as a drug, but it itself works as an antidote to overdoses of the drug. Literally all it does is save lives.”

With that said, Narcan has recently become more accessible and many California school districts are implementing policies, allowing students to carry Narcan and offering overdose prevention courses.

Caitlin Dowd ’25 shared her concerns: “It’s a really scary thing that we have to prepare for, but it’s also a very real issue more people need to be talking about.”

She added, “I would consider carrying Narcan because, living in such an urban environment, it is important to be ready in the case of an emergency.”

This story was originally published on The Crusader on May 23, 2023.