When people engage in dangerous activities, there are generally one of two results: judgment or intervention.

Fifty years ago, the debate over sex education in schools pitted those who objected to anything other than abstinence and believed it only encouraged young people to have sex against those who believed comprehensive sex education helped kids make informed choices and would ultimately reduce things like teen pregnancy. Thirty years of data show that knowledge equals safety while withholding information increases risk.

In the 80s, when the AIDS epidemic raged without cure or treatment, a campaign to provide free needle-exchange programs without fear of arrest resulted in similar opposition. Providing sterilized needles to intravenous drug users was seen in some quarters as encouraging drug abuse by removing the fear of overdose or AIDS. Research again destroyed that argument, showing that the mere presence of the exchange reduced new HIV infections by a third while no noticeable increase in intravenous drug use occurred. At a time when treatment for AIDS was limited, the needle exchanges were a major factor in suppressing the epidemic until science could provide effective treatment.

Today, the same tired arguments of enabling addiction are now leveled against a life-saving tool in the opioid crisis: Narcan (naloxone). During the opioid epidemic, the emergence of Narcan as a life-saving treatment for opioid and fentanyl overdoses stirred the old and frustrating arguments between moral judgment and pragmatism.

Again, the data proved the efficacy of public access to Narcan. According to the CDC, the U.S. saw a historic 24% to 27% decline in drug overdose deaths between late 2023 and late 2024. Public health officials credit the “widespread, data-driven distribution of naloxone” as a primary driver of this trend. This decline represents approximately 27,000 fewer deaths in a single year, or more than 70 lives saved every single day.

There can be no real debate about the appropriateness and efficacy of Narcan education and distribution.

On Tuesday, the Mississippi State University Student Association provided free training on how to administer Narcan to someone who is nonresponsive and may have overdosed.

The state of Mississippi has provided more than 20,000 Narcan kits to those who request them and training is available in many county health departments. Stand Up Mississippi provides both in-person and online overdose response instructions.

Because Starkville is a major college town, local harm reduction efforts have heavily focused on the 15–24 age demographic. Statewide, opioid deaths in this age group dropped by 41% from their 2021 peaks, largely credited to the accessibility of Narcan in campus areas and Greek life education. Both Oktibbeha and Lowndes counties are considered high-risk counties because Highway 82, considered a pipeline for fentanyl, runs through both counties.

Training opportunities like the one provided at MSU equip citizens to play an active role in fighting opioid/fentanyl deaths. A 2024 study by the New York State Department of Health and State Police found that 99% of individuals who received naloxone during a suspected overdose survived. Research consistently shows that when a bystander is present and has naloxone, the survival rate for an opioid overdose ranges from 75% to 100%,

Just as people are encouraged to take CPR classes, we believe Narcan training should be promoted. Citizens who have Narcan kits and know how to administer them are the greatest defense against these tragic outcomes.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.

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