With Coachella behind us and stagecoach, the importance of naloxone is ever important. Better known as Narcan, this medicine is administered via a nasal spray when anybody is exhibiting signs of an opioid overdose -something increasingly common at large festivals.
In existence since 1961, Naloxone reached Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 1971. However, the use of the medicine was found largely within hospitals and medical establishments, according to the National Library of Medicine. It wasn’t until the early 1990s when naloxone started to breach the consumer market.
On March 29, 2023 the FDA announced that Narcan in its form of a nasal spray–4 milligrams of naloxone hydrochloride–would be sold over-the-counter, per Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Naloxone returns the breathing of a person undergoing an overdose back to normal within 2-3 minutes, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Easy access to Narcan is increasingly important as it reduces the risk of death in an opioid-related health crisis and combats the recent upsurge in accidental fentanyl fatalities as a result of synthetic drugs.
Oftentimes, sneaking drugs and other illegal substances into music festivals isn’t that difficult. The single use of naloxone could save a life during a moment of crisis when immediate medical attention might not be available. The price of this medicine is $50 and is available at pharmacies such as CVS.
Not only should festival attendees carry naloxone on hand, but festivals should be implementing aid booths that supply it, along with other overdose-reversing tools such as fentanyl test kits. “This Must Be The Place” is a non-profit based in Ohio whose purpose is to aid the distribution of Narcan at festivals across America, per the Seattle Times. In 2023 alone, the CDC reported 112,000 opioid related deaths and have become the leading cause of death for adults under 45 in the United States. The non-profit reports that over 80% of those given a free Narcan kit have never seen or heard of the medicine. This highlights the lack of knowledge our country has regarding the life-saving medication, increasing the necessity for non-drug users to carry Narcan.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, can be 50-100 times more fatal than morphine, and it takes a miniscule amount to kill somebody, according to research conducted by UC Davis. Fentanyl continues to lace opioids in order for drug dealers to make more of a profit by using less of the opioid that is being “bought” in their product. With drug use being so ubiquitous at festivals such as Coachella, which just occurred this past week, one single person carrying this medicine could save somebody’s life.
Unfortunately, many festivals have banned bringing naloxone into their events. Oftentimes promoters believe naloxone and other opioid-reversers should be handled on-site by medical personnel only. It is critical for bystanders and concert-goers to carry Narcan and reduce the amount of overdose fatalities at festivals across the world.
With the rise in festival culture and Coachella fresh in our minds, the importance of carrying Narcan when attending such events is more crucial than ever.
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