Attorney General Jack Conway has nothing but positive reviews for the heroin bill recently signed into law by Gov. Steve Beshear. The Democratic gubernatorial candidate was on hand Thursday at the University of Kentucky to deliver kits designed to put a stop to overdoses.
"It's a good piece of legislation," he said. "It gives law enforcement the tools to combat this problem."
Conway sounded hopeful this week about the state’s chances of countering the spreading heroin epidemic and getting the fast-acting drug Naloxone, also known as Narcan, into the hands of first responders.
To that end, the state is giving about 300 heroin overdose kits to University of Kentucky medical centers. And while not a panacea, Dr. Roger Humphries, chair of Dept. of Emergency Medicine, says the drug has saved many lives.
"It's like few others in that it's incredibly safe but incredibly potent. We've used it a thousand times and even if the patient doesn't have an overdose and it's given just because somebody thought they did, there will be no bad effects of this drug," he said.
The kits were purchased using money from a $32 million dollar settlement between the state and two pharmaceutical companies.