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Senator proposes Narcan be available to all

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH)–State Senator Jim Merritt (R-Indianapolis) has filed a series of bills aimed at reducing the drug crisis in Indiana, including one that would allow people to buy Narcan without a prescription.

Narcan, or Naloxone, reverses the effects of heroin during an overdose.

It has been used to save more than 2,000 lives in Indiana over the last two years but Merritt believes more lives can be saved.

“Pharmacies are not stocking the Naloxone or Narcan because there’s no market,” he said. “This creates a situation where Narcan is on the shelves, that you can get it from your pharmacy, and maybe save a life.”

Sen. Merritt also said that addicts are often unwilling to visit a doctor and that some doctors are unwilling to treat them.