As the Country struggles with skyrocketing incidents of overdose due to increases in Fentanyl trafficking mirroring increases in undocumented border crossings, a newly put into effect Georgia law hopes to prevent overdose-related deaths.
Effective July 1, naxalone kits designed to stop the effects of a drug overdose are now available in Georgia Schools. Once unheard of, the life-saving drug counter-agent, often referred to by the brand name Narcan, has become almost ubiquitous everywhere from schools to restaurants as drug overdose rates soar across the country and here in Georgia.
Georgia has seen a 76% increase in drug overdose deaths from 2019 to 2022 and a 308% increase in fentanyl-involved overdose deaths. The highly potent drug fentanyl has flooded the market in recent years, providing something cheap and powerful to mix with other drugs.
Many fentanyl overdose victims do not know that the drug is mixed with what they are consuming. The death of Mia Dieguez, a Dunwoody high school student who had a medical emergency at school, has highlighted the need for things like Narcan readily available in schools.
While drugs and border policy have always been intertwined, the flow of fentanyl throughout the United States is deeply linked to the Southern Border. An estimated 1.1 billion doses of fentanyl were seized in 2023 by the US Customs and Border Patrol with 99% of all fentanyl seizures taking place along the Southern border.
In 2020 only 4,800 lbs. of the lethal drug was seized nationwide. By 2023, that number was up to 27,000 lbs. Findings show a significant increase in illegal border crossings during that same time frame.
As both our state and our country battle with the opioid epidemic, Senate Bill 395, called Wesley’s Law in honor of the bill sponsor’s relative who died of an opioid overdose, has made Narcan significantly easier to access in the community. At around $30 for a one-dose spray bottle, Narcan reverses an opioid overdose quickly through a simple nasal spray and can be the key to saving someone’s life.
