Learning how to Reverse an Overdose (Excerpt from Back from the Brink: Heroin’s Antidote)

Subscribe to VICE News here: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News Abuse of prescription painkillers, heroin, and other opioids has spiked over the past decade in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 100 Americans die every day from drug overdoses. Overdoses now kill more people in the US each year than gunshot wounds or car accidents. The stigma that surrounds drug users has made finding a solution difficult. New England has been hit especially hard by fatal overdoses. In Massachusetts, deaths caused by heroin and other opioids have increased by more than 90 per cent since 2002. In response, the state started a pilot program in 2007 aimed at decreasing the number of fatal overdoses. The centerpiece of the program is a drug called Naloxone, known by its brand name Narcan. It’s a nasal spray that can instantly stop an opioid overdose. VICE News went to Massachusetts to see how effective Narcan has been in stopping fatal overdoses, and uncovered the reasons why other states may have been slow to adopt similar life-saving programs. In this excerpt, VICE News visits parent support group Learn2Cope as Mary Jane McHenry speaks to parents of children with opioid addictions. Watch the full length – http://bit.ly/1zVfvt4 Watch the extra scene – http://bit.ly/1BgkvtA Read “To Oppose the Overdose Antidote Narcan Is to Approve Death Sentences for Heroin Users” – http://bit.ly/1FK3mcy Read “The Opium and Heroin Business Is Booming in Southeast Asia’s ‘Golden Triangle'” – http://bit.ly/1B2tzCe Check out the VICE News beta for more: http://vicenews.com Follow VICE News here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vicenews Twitter: https://twitter.com/vicenews Tumblr: http://vicenews.tumblr.com/ Instagram: http://instagram.com/vicenews

From: VICE News