Do you want overdose drug on your kid’s NJ school bus? (Opinion)

Should school buses have the overdose reversal drug Narcan on board? Yes. But if you disagree, listen to this story first.

Almost two years ago a 12-year-old boy was at first thought to simply be asleep on a school bus in Gloucester Township. He was overdosing.

A school nurse performed CPR as an ambulance raced to the scene. The boy would later die at a hospital of a fentanyl overdose and according to police, it happened because his uncle was manufacturing the stuff and made the poor kid clean the equipment without wearing gloves.

So if you’re one who believes Narcan just allows addicts a cheap pass to get high another day, remember this kid.

Narcan on every school bus

Now nearly two years after the tragedy, five school systems in Camden County are part of an initiative to have Narcan placed on every school bus.

So far 164 school bus drivers have received training in how to use the medication. which blocks the brain’s receptor cells from taking in opioids thus temporarily reducing the effect. Officials are hoping to have a Narcan kit on every school bus in the county.

This is a no-brainer.

It should go statewide. Since 2018 it’s been the law that every school nurse must have a Narcan kit on hand in case of an overdose. Putting them on buses is the next logical step.

Narcan isn’t terribly expensive, and the shelf life is now 36 months. You’re not going to be spending money constantly replacing unused kits.

So the only objection one could possibly have is some misguided moral one. I’ve heard people call Narcan irresponsible, basically because it allows addicts to ‘get away with it.’

Personally, I feel it’s far more immoral to let a child die.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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