On February 6^th, 2018, The Oklahoma Sheriffs’ Association held a press conference at the Oklahoma State Capitol to announce that we are supplying every Oklahoma Sheriff and their Deputies with a dosage of NARCAN® (naloxone HCI) Nasal Spray 4mg.  NARCAN® is the drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. The event held at the Oklahoma State Capitol also provided a demonstration by Logan County Reserve Deputy, Dr. Bill Worden, of how law enforcement can easily administer the life-saving drug.

This donation effectively provides every Sheriff and Deputy in the state with a dosage of the opioid antidote to use in emergency overdose situations. The donation from the Oklahoma Sheriffs’ Association makes Oklahoma one of the only states to outfit county law enforcement with the opioid counteractive agent. Training and free NARCAN® dosages will be available to County Sheriffs through the Oklahoma Sheriffs’ Association. Trainings are being scheduled now throughout the state with the first taking place on February 7^th, 2018 at the Embassy Suites in Norman.

“Nearly 1,000 Oklahomans are killed by prescription drug overdoses every year,” OSA President and Pawnee County Sheriff Mike Waters said. “There are over 1,800 deputies in the state of Oklahoma. It is our hope that this donation from the OSA will permit our Sheriffs and deputies to save lives in the event of an overdose by administering the drug in those emergencies.”

The OSA joins the fight alongside top state leaders to combat this issue facing Oklahoma’s communities, including Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter, who has made this a focus of his office, and Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Commissioner Terri White.  Their collective leadership has led to collaborative efforts among elected officials, law enforcement, physicians and communities to defeat this crisis. Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Commissioner Terri White and Lori Carter of the Attorney General’s Office, along with Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor Todd Lamb, all spoke at the event alongside Canadian County Sheriff Christ West, Logan County Sheriff Damon Devereaux, and Pottawatomie County Sheriff Mike Booth.

Following the press conference, the Oklahoma Sheriffs’ Association hosted a Legislative Lunch at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Over fifty Sheriffs, Undersheriffs, and Deputies were in attendance, along with approximately thirty legislators. The Oklahoma Sheriffs’ Association was honored to host Sheriff John Layton of Marion County, Indiana during the event.  Sheriff Layton is the current 1^st Vice-President and incoming President of the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA). Sheriff Layton spoke of the NARCAN® donation, criminal justice reform, and the NSA’s support of Oklahoma’s Sheriffs.