The results of a recent Yahoo News/YouGov poll are shedding light on Americans’ opinions regarding educating children about drugs and training teenagers on how to administer Narcan, the first over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray approved by the Food and Drug Administration. In September, it became available for sale at pharmacies and other retailers for $44.99 for a pack of two devices.
The poll, conducted by YouGov with a nationally representative sample of 1,636 U.S. adults interviewed online from Sept. 14-18, 2023, revealed that nearly half of Americans believe that high school students should be taught to administer Narcan as part of their first aid training. A whopping 49% (51% among women and 47% among men) of respondents support the idea, while 22% do not support it and 29% were unsure. Additionally, respondents who identified as Hispanic, Democrat-leaning, or age 65 and older were most likely to agree that students should know how to use Narcan.
When it comes to drug education for younger children, respondents preferred a more cautious approach. According to the poll, 39% of respondents believe that drug education should begin in sixth to eighth grade, 22% opt for third through fifth grade, 18% prefer ninth grade or later, and only 6% support drug education as early as kindergarten. The experts recommend initiating conversations around substance abuse as “early as possible.”
The Partnership to End Addiction provides scripts for parents to use with kids as young as 2, with discussions evolving into candid, age-appropriate conversations about vaping, alcohol, and the effects and risks of different drugs. Dr. Flora Sadri-Azarbayejani, a physician who works with those in recovery from substance abuse, emphasizes the importance of ongoing education about the dangers of drug use, even into adulthood.
Despite the show of support for teaching high school students to use it, it’s worth noting that Narcan is still new to the market. The poll found that 29% of respondents knew “nothing at all” about the treatment, and only 20% said they would consider buying it.
