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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Illinois ranks sixth in the nation for fentanyl-related deaths, but new state laws will address the opioid crisis.
The emphasis will be on drug awareness and education. Schools will be required to keep bottles of Narcan on campus, and the state aims to bring down the number of fentanyl-related deaths by shifting the focus from “just say no” to “just be safe.”
“The message for so long has been, ‘don’t do drugs, don’t do drugs.’ The data tells us that message has not worked,” said Joe Trotter, a prevention specialist at Champaign-Urbana Public Health. “So we have to change the conversation now that, if you do drugs, here are some informed choices that you need to make, here’s some awareness that you need to have about it and you need to have a plan.”
The new laws will allow healthcare professionals to distribute fentanyl testing strips, and all schools will need to keep opioid overdose antigens on campus.
Trotter emphasizes that increasing Narcan availability saves lives.
“Any way that we can increase Narcan availability and access is a good thing for our state. The data tells us that the more Narcan is available in an area, the less death we have from an overdose,” he said.
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The state will also require fentanyl education in schools. Jim Rauh, the founder of Families Against Fentanyl, believes fighting the opioid epidemic begins with informed decisions.
“Education is the most important. If they know the dangers there, they can be aware of it so that if they’re partying together, they can have Narcan with them,” Rauh said. “They can use test strips. They can, you know, manage their lives and mitigate a lot of the risk that they’re taking.”
The goal is to be prepared for every emergency, regardless of where or how it might take place.
“We know that they can happen anywhere, so the idea with this law is to know that a school is a place that could have this thing happen nearby. And we want teachers and staff and students to be ready to respond if this emergency happens nearby them,” Trotter said.
Trotter believes this is a great first step for the state to lower fentanyl-related deaths.
These state laws will officially start on Jan. 1, 2024.
