Saving Lives: Deputies will carry nasal spray to reverse drug OD's

GRANT COUNTY — Naloxone has proven over the years to save lives. The nasal anti-opioid spray has been used by countless law enforcement agencies across the country in reviving victims of opioid overdoses and will soon be in the hands of Grant County Sheriff’s Office deputies in hopes of repeating that nationwide success in Grant County.

Deputies will soon receive training and be issued about 100 single-dose spray dispensers, sold under the brand name Narcan. Naloxone is used to help revive victim of heroin, morphine, fentanyl, codeine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, meperidine and methadone overdoses.

“All of these drugs are linked to addiction, and in many cases, law enforcement officers are the first to arrive at the scene of an opioid overdose,” sheriff’s office spokesman Kyle Foreman stated.

Deputies will be issued kits thanks to a grant from the Washington Department of Social and Health Services and managed by the University of Washington’s Center for Opioid Safety Education, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute. Foreman said a two-pack of spray kits typically runs about $75.

Additional law enforcement agencies, including the Moses Lake Police Department, Ephrata Police Department, Grand Coulee Police Department, Quincy Police Department, Mattawa Police Department, Royal City Police Department, Soap Lake Police Department and Warden Police Department, will be training officers how to use naloxone.

“Not only can we help the victim of an opioid overdose, we can also help another officer or one of our K-9s which becomes exposed to an opioid,” Sheriff Tom Jones said. “We do see many drug crimes involving opioids, and we have responded to several deaths caused by opioid abuse. We hope to reduce opioid deaths, but we also realize that a lot of work needs to be done to try and keep opioids out of the illegal drug trade. That will require the teamwork of policymakers, law enforcement, public health agencies and citizens.”