Student SSDP Chapter Advocates for Narcan to Alderman

Junior members in our Students for Sensible Drug Policy civic-lab group recently met with 43rd Ward Alderman Timmy Knudsen to advocate for greater access to Narcan within our ward, and further promotion throughout the city.

In this gathering, students presented Knudsen with information related to the opioid crisis and spoke to how making Narcan (naloxone) publicly available allows bystanders to save the lives of people experiencing opioid overdoses. Although five of the 50 ward offices in Chicago distribute Narcan for free, the 43rd Ward is currently not one of those five, and these students want that to change.

Based on all our students shared, Knudsen was receptive to the ideas shared and committed to stock the nasal spray at his ward office and to educating the ward about its availability and importance. Knudsen invited students to develop the related information that will be shared in his newsletter to 40,000 constituents in the near future and invited Parker’s SSDP chapter to write and present a resolution to the City Council in the fall, calling for Narcan distribution in every ward office city-wide.

Congratulations to these students on this civic accomplishment in bringing positive change to the city.