A recent statement by Attorney General Eric Holder has called for Federal Law Enforcement officers to be equipped with Naloxone for the treatment of heroin overdose victims, and for officers to be trained to assist victims firsthand.
Naloxone is a drug that is used to treat individuals who have overdosed on Heroin and has helped to save many lives that likely would have otherwise been lost to the dangerous but extremely popular street drug. Holder’s statement called for trained federal law enforcement agencies to allow their officers to carry Naloxone on their person during work hours so that they will be equipped to administer it to those in need. The drug works by restoring breathing capability to individuals who are in the midst of an overdose of heroin.
The Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Agency held a conference recently on federal law enforcement and naloxone, which is where the Attorney General made the statement. It was the second time this year that Holder has made a public statement declaring his desire that federal law enforcement agencies allow officers to carry the drug in order to help save lives, the first one coming in March.
A press release issued by the Department of Justice revealed that an average of more than 100 Americans die on a daily basis from overdosing on heroin which is well in excess of the number of deaths caused by gunshot wounds and car accidents. The press release also reveals that in the four years between 2006 and 2010 deaths resulting from heroin overdose in the United States rose by 45 percent.
According to Holder, his statement is in response to these statistics and is part of an effort by the federal government to keep heroin overdose from becoming a national public health crisis.