California’s inexcusable resistance to stronger opioid overdose treatments

Visitor Commentary written by

Jaime Puerta

Jaime Puerta is a Marine veteran and CEO of Puerta & Associates Inc., a small language decoding enterprise. Puerta based VOID and cofounded Going through Fentanyl to scale back overdose deaths in California and honor his son’s reminiscence.

In April 2020, I discovered my 16-year-old son, Daniel, unconscious in his mattress. 

He had overdosed on a counterfeit Oxycodone capsule that he bought on Snapchat. It was spiked with fentanyl. Just a few days later, Daniel’s mom and I have been pressured to decide that no father or mother ought to ever face: we eliminated our son from life help. 

There aren’t any phrases to explain the agony that I and much too many different dad and mom have skilled. 

America’s opioid epidemic is extra lethal than ever. Spurred by the proliferation of fentanyl and different highly-potent artificial painkillers, greater than 100,000 individuals died from an opioid overdose over a one-year span after Daniel’s dying, in response to the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention. Sadly, overdose deaths surged 48% p.c over an analogous interval statewide, representing the fifth-highest improve within the nation. 

The mounting toll calls for swift and decisive motion from our authorities. Thus far, California is just not doing sufficient to stop overdose deaths.

The U.S. Meals and Drug Administration final 12 months accepted a double-strength naloxone product, Kloxxado, to assist counteract stronger medication like fentanyl, which is as much as 50 instances stronger than heroin and 100 instances stronger than morphine. Naloxone is a drugs that quickly reverses an opioid overdose, and has helped revive numerous overdose victims by restoring their respiration. Double-strength naloxone is run in the very same means as conventional nasal spray naloxone, and carries the identical warnings and precautions.  

Helped partially by federal grants, California distributes free naloxone to first responders, group organizations, colleges and well being care suppliers. Many reportedly use a number of doses to revive somebody, spurring efforts to develop overdose reversal therapies to incorporate Kloxxado. A big selection of stakeholders have launched a letter-writing marketing campaign, hosted instructional boards and even testified on the Legislature to boost consciousness.

Sadly, the California Division of Well being Care Companies and state leaders have declined to incorporate stronger naloxone therapies of their applications, needlessly placing the lives of Californians at better threat. It’s inexcusable that authorities officers refuse to make the most of each device obtainable to confront this epidemic.  

Since my son’s unfathomable dying, I’ve devoted my life to making sure that different dad and mom should not have to undergo the identical kind of tragedy that my household has skilled. Via this work, I’ve met and labored with numerous different dad and mom who misplaced youngsters to fentanyl, which has been an unlucky blessing. 

An essential piece of our work is making certain that the state officers do their half to get the best overdose reversal instruments into the palms of people who want them most. I do know all too effectively that that is actually a matter of life and dying.  

California should make double-strength naloxone obtainable earlier than extra households expertise the unspeakable tragedy that mine lives with day-after-day. The state’s inaction within the face of a historic epidemic is unconscionable.