Prosecutor spotlight: naloxone programs.

AuthorBrodbeck, Carolyn J.

EVERY DAY, about 110 Americans die from drug overdoses. More than half of these deaths are caused by opioids, such as heroin and prescription pain relievers. (1) Between 2006 and 2010 heroin overdose deaths increased by 45 percent and doubled in at least 28 states between 2010 and 2012. (2)

Concerned about heroin and prescription painkiller use in their districts, Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato and Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey--both members of the National District Attorneys Association--have taken action, developing programs to prevent drug use and help individuals get treatment and maintain recovery. One major effort has been to equip law enforcement personnel and community members with naloxone, often referred to by its trade name Narcan, a medication that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opiate overdose.

Highlighted below are snapshots of the naloxone programs created by Coronato and Morrissey, ways for prosecutors to get involved in their jurisdictions, and useful links to learn more about the heroin and opioid epidemic facing our country.

JOSEPH D. CORONATO--OCEAN COUNTY PROSECTOR'S OFFICE (NJ)

The heroin and prescription painkiller epidemic has been particularly evident in Ocean County, New Jersey. About an hour away from Philadelphia--a major import zone for heroin from Mexico--Ocean County has some of the purest and cheapest heroin. In 2013, during Coronato's first year as county prosecutor, there were 112 drug overdose fatalities, the majority of which involved heroin.

In April 2014, after New Jerseys Overdose Prevention Act took effect, (3) Coronato partnered with the New Jersey Attorney General's Office and the Department of Health to create the Law Enforcement Narcan Program, a naloxone pilot program. (4) The program used drug forfeiture money to purchase Narcan kits and distribute them to law enforcement personnel. (5) The program also hosts informational sessions, and distributes Narcan to members of the community.

After Narcan is administered, the patients are taken to the hospital, where they are screened and monitored by health officials. After recovering from an overdose, the patients receive counseling from overdose specialists and may be referred to a treatment program in the area. Two such facilities have become active in the program and offer immediate consultations and detoxification programs. Thus, the patients have a clear direction of where they can go for help, regardless of their...

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