Government

Anti-overdose medication may be authorized for schools

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BY CAITLIN DeLUCA
Capital News Service
LANSING — A drug used to counteract the effects of an opioid overdose could be on hand in Michigan schools free of charge. The drug, called Naloxone, is currently not available without a prescription. The Senate recently passed legilslation which would allow schools to decide to have the drug on hand for free as long as training is received by a registered nurse. The bill now goes to the House. Opioid addiction has been tackled before in the Legislature, including requiring life support vehicles, like ambulances, to carry the life-saving drug.

Health

Drug epidemic leaves more Michigan children with uncertain future

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By RAY WILBUR
Capital News Service
LANSING — The use of prescription opiates, heroin and other drugs is a rising statewide epidemic that threatens the future of more children. Drug overdose was the number-one cause of injury-related deaths for Michigan adults in 2014 when they jumped to 1,745. That’s about a 12 percent increase over the previous year, according to Michigan Department of Health and Human Services data. The illegal use of drugs, specifically prescription opiates, has steadily increased during the past five years, said Alicia Guevara-Warren, Kids Count project director for the Michigan League for Public Policy. But the real state-altering issue here is the children’s lives that are uprooted as a result, she said.