Law enforcement in Knoxville and other parts of the country are using a new method to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
The antidote is called naloxone, and it acts as a temporary solution to the abuse of opioids.
According to Knoxville police, officers have saved more than 70 people by using the drug since 2015. Authorities have administered the drug with a needle. Now, it's available as a nasal spray called NARCAN from Adapt Pharma.
Executive Director of Communications for Adapt Pharma, Thom Duddy, says the method is better for law enforcement because it requires less training.
"It was designed in collaboration with the National Institute of Drug Abuse so anyone could use it without minimal training with the understanding you don't have to be a healthcare professional to administer NARCAN nasal spray," said Duddy.
Last week, Governor Bill Haslam signed a bill that authorizes schools to keep drugs like naloxone on hand for trained faculty to use in case of an overdose.