> I wonder how much of that is just... how to put it kindly... basically running out of people prone to overdose in the first place?
Very little.
Narcan became approved for OTC sale at the end of March, 2023. As the numbers show, it turns out that widespread access to and timely administration of a drug that prevents people from dying from opioid overdoses prevents them from dying from opioid overdoses.
Edit: Do you know anyone who uses opiods? You might consider picking up some Narcan just in case they screw up and OD when you're around. You can buy it at Walgreens [0] and many other commercial pharmacies.
That's what I'd wonder about. I appreciate the comments about Narcan and the legalization of Pot but I'm still wondering.
I suppose to give weight to the idea that this the effect of greater availability of Narcan you could look at the number of users. Has it gone up or down?
Pot legalization would be trickier. Maybe rates of usage? Though you'd expect that to get up everywhere. Presumably you'd see a drop in opiate usage and a rise in pot usage.
I'm not sure how you'd quantify a shrink in the number of users because some percent realize the risk is too great - though shrinking number of users would be a clue.
If it's people prone to overdosing and dying having done so - I guess would look at the relationship between use rate and death rate. Is it the same? I'm not sure how you could differentiate (or if it matters) between people getting better and using the drugs and the deaths of people who did not use it successfully.
Everyone is prone to opioid addiction and overdose. If you got a prescription for Oxycontin and had no trouble weaning yourself off of it, you should consider yourself lucky, NOT special
That's like saying everyone is prone to be an alcoholic or a marathon runner. It's possible for anyone to end up with either of those conditions but I know a lot people who've run a 10K and then literally walked away from it.
