HARTFORD, Conn. — Gov. Ned Lamont did not fully support Narcan, the life-saving opioid overdose drug, as a Hartford school continued to mourn the death of a student on Tuesday. bring into school.
“I think I want to talk to public health officials … if public health people tell me that Narcan in nurse offices and schools can save lives, that’s what we’re going to do,” he said.
Meanwhile, state lawmakers say they have some bipartisan ideas to help address Connecticut’s opioid crisis.
“We will create legislation that will provide full funding for any school staff or coaches interested in taking the program for their children,” said state Rep. Liz Linehan of Cheshire, co-chair of the Legislature’s Children’s Committee.
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“Because the resources are coming from the National Opioid Solutions and can help fund some of these prevention and awareness efforts, there’s an opportunity to do more because the resources go to states and communities through the American Relief Program,” Bronin said.
The comments came as state leaders and community stakeholders met Tuesday outside the state capitol, with opioid abuse in the spotlight following the death of a 13-year-old Hartford student in the College of Sports and Medicine.
“Unless we stop demand, we’ll never be able to stop the supply of these things from China and India and mass-produce them for free and hit the streets,” Lamont said.
Rodney Alexander, a consultant at ROOT Advanced Rehabilitation Center, told FOX61 that to stem demand, we need to invest in more long-term addiction treatment centers.
“When we deinstitutionalize state hospitals, things get different because you can grow long-term. We need more long-term facilities in this state,” Alexander explained.
No one knows this better than scientists at the Controlled Substances Laboratory in Meriden State.This is where law enforcement sends drug samples for analysis.
“About five years ago, heroin and marijuana were the most common things in our labs,” said Michael Rickenbacker, deputy director of the state’s forensic laboratory.”Now we see fentanyl at the top of the list.”
Fentanyl now accounts for 85 percent of all opioid deaths in Connecticut.1,350 people died last year.This year, Connecticut’s rate topped 1,500.
“You’re an accomplice in manslaughter. You’re an accomplice in murder, and when you do this to our children, you should be held accountable,” he said.
While public officials have vowed to help with funding and legislation, they have also called on the community to help by talking to each other.
It doesn’t even have to be a conversation about drugs.Ask a child how they’re doing, what’s important to them, how their friends are, and show them that they have someone they can trust in their life.Experts say it’s important to treat addiction like any other disease and fight stigma.
Matt Cuaron is a reporter for FOX61 News.He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com.Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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Post time: Jan-19-2022