“As the opioid crisis in the United States continues to worsen — deaths from such drugs more than doubled, to 105,000 from January 2015 to January 2023, according to federal data — overdoses are now happening with regularity in or around social spaces like restaurants and bars. City officials and nonprofit organizations are working to get Narcan, which became available over the counter in March, to those businesses where it can be immediately useful.”
Source:
Krishna, P., & Park, E. (2023, August 15). Serve a drink, then save a life: This is restaurant work during the opioid epidemic. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/15/dining/narcan-naloxone-restaurants-bartenders-opioid-epidemic.html
Analysis
The Opioid Crisis has been going on for years at this point and lives are at stake. Drugs laced with fentanyl is the cause of many drug related deaths. “Modern problems require modern solutions.” When a problem spreads it only makes sense that more solutions are developed to combat it. The article speak about how substance abuse is common in the restaurant and bar scene and so keeping Narcan on hand to help save lives seems like a sensible solution. There are some critiques from officials saying that the bars are not paid to save lives so they should leave it to the paramedics and other trained administers of Narcan. I would personally side with the restaurant and bar workers. They are doing the best they can with what that have until a more permanent and preventative solution can be found.
