Nelson County Judge Executive ignites debate after Narcan vending machine post

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Facebook post by Nelson County Judge-Executive Tim Hutchins has ignited a heated debate over whether or not Narcan vending machines should be available in the county.

"I want to begin the process of changing the devastating opioid culture in Nelson County and a free Narcan service is not a good start," he wrote, adding that he was in favor of "other avenues of assistance" for those suffering from drug addiction.

"I would support Narcan availability as long as there is also counseling, responsibility and accountability," he said. He added that, "Our community is willing to help, but addicts must be willing to help themselves, and dealers must be punished."

Not everyone agrees with his stance.

In Bullitt County, Laura Thurman lost her 23-year-old daughter, Morgan Lewis, to fentanyl poisoning last year. She said her daughter overdosed when she unknowingly took laced cocaine.

After Lewis' death, Laura and her husband George created the non-profit Morgan's Mission to raise awareness about the dangers of drug experimentation, and the value of Naloxone, a drug that reverses opioid overdoses, commonly administered under the brand Narcan.

"We just want to turn her tragedy into saving maybe other parents from going through the horrible stuff we're going through," Laura Thurman said.

Thurman was one of the concerned commenters on Hutchins' Facebook post.

"I was outraged, I was floored, I felt like he was taking the community backwards," she said.

WDRB News talked to Hutchins Monday and he said his objection to Narcan vending machines comes down to the fact that it's free.

"My stance and my personality is I don't believe in all this free stuff," Hutchins said. "I think we need to go after the drug pushers and dealers and get more effective there and harder and not just say, you know, 'We'll keep enabling everybody that's got a problem to keep coming back.'"

Thurman said access to Narcan is not about enabling.

"No one uses because there's Narcan to save you," Thurman said. "If you can save a life, why not? Because they cannot get to rehab or counseling if they're dead and that's what he doesn't understand."

Hutchins said he does want to address opioids and is not pushing for a total ban on Narcan.

"I think at the end of the day we will come up with a common theme to get rid of drugs. We might have differences of opinion how to get there," Hutchins said.

Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition offers free Narcan and Narcan trainings. The group also posted on Hutchins post saying in part, "...the accessibility of the vending machines could save so many lives and lead to recovery, as opposed to letting people die because of the false belief that they are not being responsible or held accountable."

CEO of the coalition Henry Lucas also lives in Nelson County and said first he hopes those with the view point likewise to Hutchins can think with compassion.

"Because it's like one of those things where everybody is taking responsibility in the community, not just the law enforcement, not just the, you know, the social workers, it's even for the community members. We are seeing more and more people die from fatal overdoses when it could have been preventable," Lucas said.

Dr. Matt Eisenstat is a medical toxicologist with UofL Health and offered expert advice on Narcan.

Dr. Eisenstat said the drug works by blocking the receptors opioids latch on to, in turn reversing an overdose. So if someone is not overdosing, the drug doesn't hurt that person.

"There is no reason not to administer Naloxone and the more Naloxone is in the community, the more lives can be potentially saved," he said.

He said a common myth is that Narcan can't stop fentanyl, when it can.

"That is not correct. So Narcan or Naloxone is going to work for any opioid overdose and it does not have any adverse effects," Dr. Eisenstat said. "Now, you still want to call 911 and get somebody to a hospital or healthcare provider as quickly as possible after you've administered naloxone."

Dr. Eisenstat said some signs of an opioid overdose could be small pupils, difficulty breathing, sleepiness and if the skin is starting to turn blue or discolored.

For more resources on Narcan and how to use it click here.

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