As government officials across the country struggle to slow the death toll of America’s opioid epidemic, thousands of police departments from coast to coast have equipped their officers with naloxone, a lifesaving overdose antidote. D.C. police officials continue to oppose the idea. In 2017, there were 279 victims of fatal opioid overdoses in the District, more than the number of homicide victims. A Washington Post investigation published last month found that D.C. officials failed to adequately respond to the crisis, misspending millions of federal grant dollars and ignoring lifesaving strategies widely adopted in other cities and states. “In an area such as D.C., when we have such increases in overdose deaths, it’s incumbent upon every first responder to be prepared to save a life.”

Source: Washington Post January 10, 2019 22:52 UTC