Federal legislation aims to provide Narcan, personnel training to schools

(The Center Square) – Alarmed by a dramatic increase in fentanyl-related deaths among adolescents, a bipartisan congressional group led by U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., has introduced legislation that would provide funding for opioid-overdose reversal medication and training for school personnel in rural areas and districts with high crime rates.

Newhouse, who represents central Washington’s 4th Congressional District, has proposed the Stop Overdose in Schools Act along with three Democratic members of Washington’s delegation – U.S. Reps. Kim Schrier, Marilyn Strickland, and Derek Kilmer – and two Republicans, Reps. Ryan Zinke of Montana and John Moolenaar of Michigan.

In a news release Thursday, Newhouse said overdoses from fentanyl are now the leading cause of death for people ages 18 to 45 and that “no community has been left untouched by this crisis … it has become clear that our police and school resource officers need more support.”

If enacted, the bill would set aside money to purchase naloxone, also called Narcan, for schools and provide training for nurses, security personnel, and resource officers. Narcan is an FDA-approved drug which can reverse the effects of opioids if deployed quickly either by injection or nasal spray.

Schrier, a medical physician, called the opioid epidemic a “devastating public health crisis.”

“As a mother, a pediatrician, and a congresswoman, I am concerned and understand this issue needs to be addressed from every angle, and that includes schools,” she said. The legislation should be part of a larger strategy to educate parents and children about the dangers of taking unprescribed medications because, said Schrier, “one pill can kill.”

The lawmakers cited a study published last year on trends in drug overdose death among U.S. adolescents over the past decade which showed illicit drug supplies have become increasingly contaminated with fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. In 2010, the drug-related death rate among adolescents was 2.40 per 100,000 population and remained relatively stable until 2020, when the death rate nearly doubled to 4.57 per 100,000, a 94% increase. It climbed even higher to 5.49 deaths per 100,000 population in 2021, when over 77% of the deaths in 2021 were linked to fentanyl.

It was not specified how many deaths, if any, occurred in schools.

The study said the highest rate of overdose deaths was found among American Indian, Alaska Native, and Latino adolescents – trends that fit “a wider pattern of increasing racial and ethnic inequalities in overdose that deserve further investigation and intervention efforts.” Also considered as contributing factors were the COVID-19 pandemic, social isolation, suicidal ideation, mental illness, and disruptions in illicit drug markets.

Similarly, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noted the dramatic rise in overdose deaths among young people.

While there is no single solution, Kilmer said the proposed legislation would commit federal resources “into our communities to protect folks from the dangers of opioid addictions.”

While authorities say illicit narcotics frequently enter the U.S. from Mexico, Zinke said Montana is also seeing drug cartels smuggling fentanyl across the northern border from Canada with an initial stop at the Blackfeet Indian Reservation where it “ends up poisoning kids who don’t even know they’re taking it.”

Zinke said the legislation is not “a Republican or Democrat issue, it’s an American issue … The Stop Overdose in Schools Act will help save lives by equipping and training school staff with Narcan to reverse the effects of fentanyl overdose and poisoning.”

The measure calls for 50% of grant funding to be awarded to school districts in rural areas, where lack of availability and high costs for the drug and training can be prohibitive. The other 50% would be prioritized to school districts with high rates of drug-related overdoses by youth.

Newhouse also referenced other related legislative proposals introduced earlier this year. They include the Law Enforcement Officers Preventing Overdose Deaths Act, a pilot grant program for rural community response to allow state and local law enforcement agencies to purchase naloxone; and the William and James Wonacott Act, named after two Yakima brothers who died in separate instances due to fentanyl. The bill increases criminal penalties for anyone providing any substance containing two milligrams or more of illicit fentanyl to another person without their knowledge.

In January, Newhouse introduced the Save Americans from the Fentanyl Emergency Act to permanently list all fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs. He also launched the Central Washington Fentanyl Task Force with members representing law enforcement, addiction treatment groups, medical professionals, elected and drug court officials, school resource officers, and community and tribal leaders. The task force will hold its second quarterly meeting in October.