Pullman police to begin carrying lifesaving drug

PULLMAN, Wash. — Police in Pullman will begin carrying a lifesaving overdose reversal drug.

The Spokesman Review reports Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, can stop a fatal overdose by binding to opioid receptors in the brain, effectively "kicking-out" heroin or other drugs causing life-threatening symptoms. The effect is nearly instantaneous and sends a person into immediate withdrawal for about 30 to 90 minutes.

Pullman police say there were seven opioid overdose deaths in Whitman County between 2013 and 2015. Since October 2016 there have been three opioid deaths.

Pullman police are currently being trained how to administer the drug. Officers will start carrying the drug within several weeks.