A private organization announced this week that it is supplying every sheriff’s department in Oklahoma with a drug that can reverse opiate overdoses.
As The Oklahoman reports,the private Oklahoma Sheriffs' Association said deputies in Oklahoma will soon have access to the drug Narcan, which has been shown to reverse the effects of a prescription drug overdose within minutes. The group said it hopes to eventually reach every officer in Oklahoma with the drug, though they have a long way to go.
The Narcan distribution program may be an effort on the part of the Oklahoma Sheriffs' Association to reverse bad press it’s received in recent months. The group has taken criticism for charging criminals 30 percent more if their overdue fines are turned over to a collection agency.
The matter is the subject of a lawsuit currently pending in the state. Critics have referred to the collection charges as “an extortion scheme.”