Naloxone: Lifesaver or opioid enabler?

A drug that reverses an opioid overdose and prevents death is often cited by public health experts as a bridge that would connect people to addiction treatment. But evidence suggests it is acting more akin to a revolving door of continued substance abuse.

The overdose-reversal drug naloxone has historically been administered by first responders such as police officers. Now that the drug comes in easy-to-use devices, including an auto-injector and a nasal spray, health officials are urging laypeople carry them to save lives.

In the midst of a massive wave of overdose deaths involving opioids such as heroin, they hope it will be a first step in getting people into treatment. Nearly every state allows for naloxone to be obtained without a prescription, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams recently issued a rare public health advisory recommending that more people stock it.
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