What legalisation of NARCAN says about America’s drug laws

Overdose antidote NARCAN has officially been legalised for sale without prescription. It’s a significant step for a country long suffering from an opioid epidemic. 

Toward the end of 2022, rumours began circling that the FDA was planning to legalise NARCAN, a drug found to reverse the effects of opioid overdose.

Naloxone – as its officially known – is a nasal spray that can almost instantly save the life of someone who has overdosed on drugs like Heroin and Fentanyl.

Reversing the effects of fatal overdoses, NARCAN blocks the impact that opioids have on the nervous system, but only if administered immediately after an overdose is suspected.

Yet until last week, the drug was only available through pharmacists or local health centres, making it almost impossible to access in an emergency.

The action of making NARCAN readily available in the US is a ground-breaking step in ensuring life-saving medication can be sold direct to consumers in everyday spaces like grocery stores and gas stations.

In a country plagued by bureaucratic red-tape and expensive medical systems, NARCAN’s availability will mean a lot for the US and its persistent struggle with opioids.

The nasal spray can restore normal breathing to a person experiencing opioid overdose in just two to three minutes. And even when it comes to stronger drugs like fentanyl, a double dose of NARCAN is still capable of saving a life.

FDA commissioner Robert Cliff described the move as ‘a dire public health need’.

‘Today’s approval of (over-the-counter) naloxone nasal spray will help improve access to naloxone, increase the number of locations where it’s available, and help reduce opioid overdose deaths throughout the country’.

Bars and nightclubs across the US are also being encouraged to stock up on Naxolone as a means of curbing accidental overdoses – which kill more than 75,000 Americans annually.

It’s easy application also makes NARCAN extremely effective – it’s fool-proof and fail-safe. Simply insert the nozzle into the nostril of the person overdosing, and press firmly on the plunger to administer a dose.