Naloxone, a antidote for opiate overdose, is becoming more easily accessible throughout Massachusetts. Walgreens and CVS pharmacies in the state offer naloxone without requiring a prescription and first responders were recently allowed to begin carrying this drug.

Opioid overdose is the leading cause of injury death in Massachusetts, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. There were 185 opioid-related deaths in Plymouth County in 2016 and Wareham made up 15 of these.

Naloxone, commonly referred to as Narcan, is a drug typically sprayed into the nose that blocks opioids and restores normal breathing in an overdose. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said it is “safe, easy to administer and has no potential for abuse.”

Massachusetts is one of 41 states where anyone can buy naloxone over the counter at CVS Pharmacy.

"We support the opportunity to provide naloxone to those who would benefit from having it on hand during an emergency," CVS Pharmacy's website said.

In light of the changes to the state’s policy on naloxone, the Wareham Public Schools updated its policy in May 2016. The school nurses in every Wareham Public School have been trained to administer Narcan, Wareham Middle School nurse Susan Akins said.

The nurses took a training course, which included a one-hour information session, a demonstration of how to use Narcan and a test.

Narcan is in every public school in Wareham and is stored with EpiPens. If there is no nurse in the building at the time of an overdose, someone else who is trained to use Narcan could access and administer it. Anyone can take the training course on how to properly administer Narcan.

Akins said having Narcan in schools is a good precaution, though she has not had to use it.

“I think for people that need it, it’s a good thing to have there,” Akins said. “As long as everybody’s properly trained in using it, it’s a rescue med and it can save lives.”

Wareham EMS has been carrying naloxone for over ten years, according to EMS Director David Evans. Responders are equipped to dispense naloxone nasally and intravenously.

So far in 2017, responders have given naloxone 98 times. In 2016, 197 doses were given.

“It’s a life saving drug,” Evans said. “People are addicted to [opiates] and we have to treat them until they get the treatment they need to get off the drug.”

The fire departments in town have been carrying Narcan for just over a year, according to Onset Fire Chief Ray Goodwin.

“We decided to get it for the amount of calls we respond to where we have to wait for EMS to arrive,” Goodwin said.

It took the department six to eight months to get licensed to carry it, Goodwin said. All the members of the fire department were trained to use Narcan and provided with a plan of when to utilize it.

Goodwin said the Onset Fire Department has only used Narcan “several times” since getting it last year. He said it makes caring for patients much easier and helps bring them back to consciousness more quickly than using other methods.

“I am here to provide a service and it’s not my place to judge if someone should live or die,” Goodwin said. “We serve all of our customers equally...accidental or intentional, we don’t know what the situation is.”

Anyone can receive training to dispense naloxone as well. Janie Simmons founded Get Naloxone Now, a website that provides free, 20-minute training for bystanders to feel equipped to act in an overdose situation.

Get Naloxone Now has trained over 33,000 people nationally using the interactive training program.

"It gives them the confidence to use these products and to know how easy they are," Simmons said. She said she believes everyone should consider having naloxone in their home, particularly if they are in a social network of people who use heroin or prescription narcotics. Simmons encourages people to see being trained and carrying naloxone as a loving act.

"There may be someone in your home that you're not aware is interested in that stuff, or kids are experimenting," Simmons said.