There were more than 23,00 deaths in Massachusetts last year from opioid overdoses, prompting some to call for more widespread community accessibility for the lifesaving antidote Narcan. I concur from a humanitarian perspective but also from an economic one.

In bulk, Narcan could probably be purchased by the state for less than $25 per dose. An untreated, overdosed individual transported to a hospital intensive care unit can incur charges of $10,000 per day or more versus $25 to prevent the hospitalization.

It is easy to understand the scale of this discrepancy — 400 doses of Narcan vs. one ICU day. with the burden of costs either way falling on the state. We should support having Narcan in every police car, fire truck, EMT van, bar, nightclub, drug house, mall — any place people congregate — and easily and cheaply available at every pharmacy.

Herb Abelson

Granby

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