McNairy Co. Sheriff’s Office prepares to fight opioid overdoses

McNAIRY COUNTY, Tenn. — “We don’t want anyone to die of a drug overdose,” McNairy County Sheriff Guy Buck said.

So the sheriff’s department is arming their deputies to fight those overdoses.

“Narcan is, in a medical term, is an antagonist to an opioid,” Buck said.

That means it reverses the effects of opioids — slower breathing and slower heart rate — that can kill you.

The reason Narcan is being pushed out to law enforcement is fentanyl. “A lot of our opioids that are out there now are being cut with fentanyl, and it’s unique in that you can absorb it through your skin,” Buck said.

Sheriff Buck says people are mixing fentanyl with other drugs, making them much more deadly.

The department has the Narcan not only for the community members they might respond to having an overdose, but the deputies too.

“The main intent with having the Narcan with the officers is to self treat or treat another officer in the case of an exposure,” Buck said.

Buck says as of now none of his deputies has had to use the Narcan.

Tennessee Overdose Prevention provided the training and the Narcan for the department.