BY DAVE PRICE
Daily Post Editor
San Mateo County officials including Sheriff Christina Corpus have put a vending machine in the jail lobby that dispenses Narcan, the drug that reverses an opioid overdose.
It’s hard to fault anyone who is trying to save lives, but there’s something obvious here that isn’t being said. You can buy the same drug, Naloxone, over the counter at drug stores. You don’t need a prescription, though it costs about $35 a box.
Walgreen’s stocks Naloxone in the pain relief aisle.
It’s easy to get Naloxone, so I’m not sure why the county needed a vending machine. It seems more like a PR stunt to tell the world that these officials are doing something about the fentanyl crisis. Giving Naloxone to every bar and cheap hotel in the county would probably be more effective. Editor Dave Price’s column appears on Mondays.
People leaving incarceration are around 129 times more likely to die of an overdose than others, and may not have many resources. While purchasing narcan at a pharmacy might be “easy” for you, that is not everyone’s current reality. So, why not make a life saving medication easily available for people who might need it most? What’s the downside?
You are correct that giving naloxone to every bar and hotel would be effective… why not both? Narcan should be everywhere!
“ While purchasing narcan at a pharmacy might be “easy” for you, that is not everyone’s current reality.” Describe the circumstances that prevent a person going to a drugstore.
That sounds about as stupid as Democrats who argued in a previous election that Covid was so bad they couldn’t step foot in a polling place and they insisted that all ballots be mailed to voters. Of course these voters went to the store.
But seriously what stops s drug addict from going to a drugstore?