Surgeon general: Most in US think opioid abuse is not local

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – The U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Jerome Adams, says opioid abuse is a problem nationwide, but only a small percentage of Americans think it’s an emergency in their own communities.

Adams took part in a panel discussion about opioids Thursday at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

Gov. Phil Bryant said Mississippi law enforcement officers have revived 43 people in the past nine months with naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdose. The governor says all Highway Patrol troopers and Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agents are carrying naloxone.

At Adams’ request, two physicians showed the governor how naloxone is administered by injection or nasal mist.

Dr. Mary Currier, the Mississippi state health officer, says there are several types of naloxone, ranging in price from $37.50 to $1,500.

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