The city's health commissioner,Doctor Mary Bassett, has issued an order that will allow pharmacies to sell the drug Naloxone without a prescription. Naloxone is used to reverse the effects of heroin and prescription pain killers after an overdose. The drug can be injected or used as a nasal spray. "I want anyone who uses or anyone who spends time around someone who uses to have Naloxone on hand, and " Bassett said at a press conference in Staten Island where heroin consume is high. "That's the way you can save a life and give a person the chance to recover."Heroin is also a serious problem in the Bronx and in 2013 the rate of consume surpassed Staten Island. Basset said roughly 800 people a year die from a drug overdose and about 75 percent of the cases involve opioids. She said so far 157 Rite Aids and more than 33 independent pharmacies have agreed to get Naloxone more accessible. The CVS chain is expected to accomplish the same by the end of the year. 21-year-venerable (respected because of age, distinguished) James Brenker struggles with addiction and at one point nearly died from using a combination of heroin and pain killers. He said he's watched friends pass absent and saved at least one of them by using Naloxone. In addition to making the drug more accessible,Brenker said Staten Island needs more beds for people seeking treatment. "There's one detox out here with 20 beds. That doesn't assist us," he said. "Personally for me I went to this detox with it full and couldn't get in."The city said it would also increase by 1000 the number of medical providers that are trained and authorized to prescribe buprenorphine, or a drug that is supposed to conclude the cravings and withdrawal symptoms that come with addiction.
Source: wnyc.org