Nevada Highway Patrol to equip officers with overdose reversal drug
The Nevada Highway Patrol announced Thursday that it will equip officers who undergo training with the opioid-overdose reversal drug, naloxone.
Each trooper that completes the hourlong online training will be given two doses of the naloxone nasal spray, sold under the brand Narcan, according to a news release from the Nevada Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol Division.
The training, which debuted Wednesday, is not mandatory, Trooper Jason Buratczuk said.
The drug can be used up to an hour and a half after a person has overdosed on an opioid, including heroin, the release said. Once administered, naloxone causes a person to enter withdrawal.
There were 12.8 opioid overdose deaths per 100,000 Nevadans in 2016, according to state data.
Contact Jessie Bekker at jbekker@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4563. Follow @jessiebekks on Twitter.