RPD to debut Naloxone program, offers prescription drug drop-off – News – Ridgecrest Daily Independent – Ridgecrest, CA

In May, the Ridgecrest Police Department will launch its Naloxone program with the intention of saving lives. Naloxone is a non-addictive, life-saving drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose when it is given in time. It works by binding the opioid receptors in the body, reversing or blocking the effects of opioids such as heroin, morphine, or Hydrocodone.

RPD Chief Jed McLaughlin filled in the Ridgecrest City Council on the new program during its April 3 meeting.

McLaughlin said the drug is effective in counteracting overdoses from opioids such as Oxycodone, heroin, and hopefully Fentanyl.

“I have seen it in action a lot. This stuff is amazing,” McLaughlin said.

Every RPD officer will be issued a Naloxone kit, which is a nasal spray. The life-saving drug can then be used in the field immediately when the officer recognizes a victim suffering from an overdose.

“It is a drug, but it is a life-saving drug that really has no bad effects other than to addicts. It can put them into withdrawal rather quickly,” McLaughlin said. Of course it could also presumably save their lives.

“Usually we get there first,” he said. “So those precious minutes, even seconds can make the difference [in saving a life].”

RPD officers will carry 2mg doses for addicts, although the watch commanders will have the higher 4 mg dose to use in case officers get accidental expsosure to drugs. With officers, the risk of throwing them into withdrawals abruptly is not a concern since they are not addicts in the first place.

Of course, Naloxone does not solve the problem of drug addiction. Like a defibrillator, it can save someones’ life but leaves the underlying issue unaddressed. (RPD also has a successfully defibrillator program which has “saved a lot of lives,” according to McLaughlin.)

“Addicts need further help than just the nasal spray that we are going to give them.”

If Naloxone is accidentally dispensed to someone not suffering an opioid overdose, it has no effect according to McLaughlin.

Background on opioids: ‘You can see where we are headed here’

McLaughlin gave some background on the serious issues presented by opioid abuse and the severity of the problem.

Opioids can be prescription opioids such as Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, morphine and other similar drugs.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine. Also problematic is illicitily-manufactured Fentanyl. Heroin is the illegal opioid. McLaughlin noted that Fentanyl is also used illegally but is prescribed legitimately for severe pain management.

“Drug overdoses and deaths continue to increase across the U.S.,” McLaughlin said.

He added that from 1999 to 2017 more than 700,000 people have died from a drug overdose and around 68 percent of the more than 70,200 drug overdose deaths in 2017 involved an opioid.

The problem appears to be getting worse. McLaughline noted that in 2017, the number of overdose deaths involving opioids was six times higher than in 1999 “so you can see where we are headed here.”

In addition, from 1999 to 2017, almost 400,000 people died from an overdose involving an opioid, including prescription and illicit opioids.

Opioid overdose deaths: three waves

McLaughlin said the rise in opioid overdose deaths can be tracked in three distinct waves.

The first wave began with increased prescribing of opioids in the 1990s. Overdose deaths involving prescription opioids (natural and semi-synthetic opioids and methadone) have increased since at least 1999.

The second wave begain in 2010, with rapid increases in overdose deaths involving of heroin.

The third wave began in 2013, with significant increases in overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids – especially those involving IMF.

The IMF market continues to change, and IMF can be found in combination with heroin, counterfeit pills, and cocaine.

“What they are doing now with Fentanyl is putting it in heroin, putting it in pills. Cocaine, different types of drugs to mask the Fentanyl to get the desired effect they want. They use a lot less of it . . . so the rate on return for their money is huge. Fentanyl can bring a lot of money.”

McLaughlin gave examples of threats to law enforcement personnel, who have sometimes become unresponsive or seriously ill after exposure to unknown substances. The point is, of course, that Naloxone also provides an important safety measure for law enforcement themselves in the case of accidential exposure to toxic opioids.

“The exposure to the officers, it doesn’t take much. This [substance] can be airborne, they can touch it and they can OD. That’s all it takes,” he said. “They have zero tolerance to this stuff. It really has bad consequences.”

McLaughlin said RPD sends special thank yous to Ridgecrest Regional Hospital, Libery Ambulance, Kern County Environmental Health, RPD Office Mike Ogas and Liberty Ambulance supervisor Mike Metcalf for making the use of this expensive life-saving product available for free.

Prescription Drug Drop-off

Another safety measure made possible by RPD is already in place, a safe medication disposal container located in the front lobby of the Police Department. The prescription drug drop-off recepticle is available to members of the public to drop off old or no-longer-needed prescription drugs. It is available to anyone to drop old pills or prescription medication. It has been available for a couple of months.

The drop box is available at all hours and can be used to drop all types of prescriptions.

McLaughlin gave assurances that the recepticle is safe and no one but RPD can get inside it, nor can someone reach in and retrieve previously-dropped prescriptions.

The prescription drugs will be incinerated semi-annually in Long Beach.

“We don’t want you dumping them down the toilet, putting them in the water system. This is best,” he said.

McLaughlin added the further intention is keeping drugs out of the hands of kids, grandkids and anyone else who could be harmed by them.

“I hope it gets a lot of use and we can take some of those drugs off the street.”

The prescription drug drop-off was obtained through a grant from Rite Aid.