Louisiana Woman Campaigns to Let Students Carry Narcan to Prevent Overdose Deaths

A Louisiana woman who tragically lost her daughter to a likely fentanyl overdose is now campaigning to allow students to be able to carry Narcan to prevent overdose deaths, according to KLFY.

Who Is Lilly Harvey?

Since the 2017 overdose death of her daughter, Lillie Camille "Millie" Harvey, Lilly Harvey has worked to rally the Louisiana Legislature to increase the penalties for those who have "deceived to death" victims of Fentanyl.

She was successful in getting legislation passed that increased the penalties for distributors of Fentanyl in Louisiana. The bill that was ultimately passed, Millie's Law, makes Fentanyl and heroin a crime of violence that mandates a minimum sentence of five years in prison with a maximum forty-year sentence.

What Happened In Millie's Case?

In her daughter's case, the man who gave the pill to her daughter is serving a 20-year sentence.

What Is Harvey Campaigning For Now?

Lilly Harvey is now moving into a different phase of advocacy. She wants to be able to impact kids at a younger age and thinks it is important for children to be able to carry Narcan with them to school.

School zones in Louisiana are drug-free, including any over-the-counter medicine. You can't have any items like this on the campus if you are a student. Now, some school nurses and school resource officers do have Narcan, which can then be used in the event of an overdose or other opioid crisis on campuses.

Harvey Will Need Help To Make This Idea A Reality

Harvey says she wants more people to have access to the life-saving medicine,

We want teachers to have Narcan, and a lot of teachers do now around the state, but what about the kids at sports that are driving to the football field or find somebody out in the parking lot? I think it’s very important that students who can drive to school can carry Narcan and keep it in their vehicle.

The headlines are cluttered with stories from across the state of Louisiana about fentanyl, heroin, and other opioid-based drug overdoses. Fentanyl and drugs laced with fentanyl have infested communities across Louisiana. Law enforcement officials are doing everything they can to fight the scourge.

Harvey says she plans to work with legislators to seek to have this one drug, Narcan, exempted from the zero-tolerance policy of drugs on school campuses.

The SAMHSA, which stands for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Narcan is the drug that can reverse the impact of opioids. One question people want to know is, "Can Narcan get you high?". According to Choice Point Health,

No,  Narcan does not get you high. Rather, it helps in reversing opioid overdose and restoring breathing and consciousness that could otherwise lead to death.

As Harvey continues with her campaign through Millie Mattered, it will be up to local and state lawmakers to make a decision about whether or not students could carry Narcan on school property.