Regardless of how you feel about making naloxone more available, having it on hand in Pennsylvania courts is a smart move.

An initiative announced in March by the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs aims to supply more than 1,200 doses of the opioid inhibitor, sold under the brand name Narcan, to all 67 county courts and 512 district magistrates statewide.

While the program is being rolled out as voluntary for the courts, we would urge them to take part in stocking the overdose-reversing drug.

According to data from the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, about 25% of all arrests made nationwide are drug related. About 20% of those arrests are for cocaine; opioids, such as heroin; and substances derived from them, such as crack; or synthetic substances designed to mimic them, including fentanyl.

The statistics make one thing very clear: A significant number of the people being processed through the criminal justice system are involved in some way with the usage or trafficking of drugs that most readily lead to overdoses.

In other words, courts see a higher number of those with some connection to illegal drugs walk through their doors. It would stand to reason a portion of those individuals are habitual drug users who could suffer an overdose while present for court proceedings and potentially die.

No one wants to be present when a death occurs, but when one happens in a public space, such as a courtroom and associated offices, it runs the risk of exposing vulnerable groups like children.

Having the means at hand to prevent a death from such scenarios is just common sense and benefits more than just the individual overdosing — it benefits everyone present as well.

— JP