The Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership (AORP) has purchased 15,000 Naloxone kits for law enforcement officers across the state. First responders picked up kits of Naloxone, an opioid overdose medication also called Narcan, from a distribution center at the Arkansas National Guard's Camp Joseph T. Robinson in North Little Rock Thursday.
The kits were purchased by the AORP using $675,000 of funds from nationwide legal settlements with opioid manufacturers. Arkansas Drug Director Tom Fisher became emotional as he gave a warning about the impact of opioid overdoses on the state.
“For those of you who want to know what the opioid crisis is doing to communities across the state of Arkansas, look no further than Little Rock,” Fisher said. “As of today, there were 27 overdose death investigations that were actively being worked, versus 35 homicide investigations. And at the rate we’re going, overdose deaths are as likely to overcome violent crime deaths by the end of the year.”
Fisher also encouraged continuing efforts on combating drug-related deaths.
“I agree and I understand the conversation and the approach to attacking violent crime,” he said. “But I’d like to argue that... we should be spending at least the same effort if not more addressing overdoses in the state.”
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders also spoke to emphasize the importance of “fighting back” against the opioid epidemic.
“We know that this is something that allows us to fight back against a growing problem,” Sanders said. “We want to continue to make sure that every law enforcement agency and individual has the tools they need to keep our communities safe.”
This announcement comes six years after the Arkansas State Police began to carry Narcan kits, a policy that Fisher says has “saved 2,100 lives.”
