Chicago now gives at-risk inmates the overdose-reversing drug naloxone upon their release from jail and Los Angeles is poised to follow suit, putting the antidote in as many hands as possible as part of a multifaceted approach to combatting the nation's opioid epidemic. "We've got to keep them alive (and) if we can get them through that two-week window, they might get treatment, get off drugs," he said. In Rhode Island, a study of 100 inmates found they were able to successfully administer the drug after being released, with a few using it to reverse their own overdoses. A study in Scotland, meanwhile, found that the number of opioid-related inmate deaths dropped within the first four weeks of release after naloxone kits were distributed. Three years ago, the World Health Organization released guidelines recommending expanded naloxone access to people likely to witness an overdose, including drug users.

Source: ABC News July 29, 2017 13:52 UTC