By Eric King-
West Midland Police officers are to be issued an emergency antidote to allow them to treat drug users who have overdosed on heroin.
Forty West Midlands Police officers have been trained to use naloxone nasal which can treat overdoses of methadone, morphine and fentanyl. The move was made following a report for Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson found someone dies from drug poisoning every three days in the West Midlands. Heroine overdose is one of the biggest killers of drug addicts who sometimes buy what is known as a ‘bad patch’ which kills them. Heroine addicts are hopelessly addicted and in many cases indulge in prostitution and theft to feed their habit.
Without it, heroine addicts claim to be ‘ill’ or ‘clocking’ for the dangerous drug which keeps many of them awake all night.
Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said:”Police officers are often the first on the scene when there is an overdose
“This initiative is an important symbol in showing that first and foremost all emergency services are there to protect life. Heroine is an opiate drug that is very difficult to give up. Maintenance therapy is one of the forms of treatment used to alleviate the addiction to heroine. It allows you to switch from heroin to a heroin substitute, such as methadone or buprenorphine. You then stay on a stable dose of the substitute.
Detox allows you to switch from heroin to a heroin substitute then gradually withdraw from the substitute so that you are completely free from both.Tony Mercer from Public Heath England said there is “good evidence” naloxone helps prevent opiate overdose deaths.
“The new nasal naloxone is more acceptable than the current injection to people who might first come across an overdose, like the police, making it easier to reach more people who might benefit from its use,” he said