The Weaponization of Narcan

Narcan, the trade name of the opiate antidote naloxone, has become a part of the modern lexicon. It can even be found in the Urban Dictionary. Although initially a noun, it is now a widely used verb as in, “I Narcanned that patient,” or, “I Narcanned your Honor Student.” Narcan is so effective that we have even dreamed up imaginary clinical situations to administer it. YouTube is full of videos of police officers giving themselves or colleagues Narcan for suspected “fentanyl exposure.” A popular video shows a police officer giving Narcan to another officer after exposure to what was later identified as methamphetamine (colloquially called “Icer” by the arrested offender). Of course, there has never been a documented adverse reaction to fentanyl from skin contact.   A woman in Pierce Township, Ohio, sustained an anoxic brain injury when police officers thought her asthma attack was an overdose and administered Narcan. A police officer in Massachusetts had to self-administer Narcan after a reported fentanyl exposure. An EMS provider in Virginia referred to himself as “Dr. Narcan” while making racist and homophobic comments on a white supremacist podcast.
Source: JEMS Patient Care - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Airway & Respiratory Exclusive Articles Columns Source Type: news