UT Martin changes their policy for Narcan.

The University of Tennessee at Martin is the first college in West Tennessee to allow the carrying of narcan

Narcan is an overdose reversal agent for any oipioid .

“The goal is for everyone to carry narcan. We want individuals to know that it is in our day to day environments,” says Lassiter,

Lassiter, the regional overdose prevention specialist, says that 16 thousand teens become addicted to oipioids every day, and one person dies every 19 minutes.

Officers on campus have received a training and are now carrying narcan.

“Our campus is not immune to this problem. There’s a tool out there that we can put in our belt now that can help save a life and if we can do that and save somebody, we’re going to do that,” says Robbins.

Each unit has two doses in each box and the nasal spray doesn’t have to be inhaled. It is absorbed through the mucus membrane so it is effective even if the person is unconscious.

Students on campus told me they agreed with the steps their university was taking in changing their policy for narcan.

It’s just an extra thing on campus that we could have that could save a life so as far as that goes it seems like it really couldn’t hurt anything in any way for anybody, it helps with the education of it and in the end supplies it,” says Castellaw.

Lassiter says that anyone around you could be vulnerable to an overdose, wether it is an elder who took too many pills or a child who accidentally put one in their mouth.

Which is why she stresses the importance of everyone being abe to carry it and hopes other universities get on board.