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'A second life' | DC Police officers share experiences reviving overdose victims

Opioid use has increased in the DC region over the last decade, forcing many first responders to apply Narcan to people in need more than ever before.

WASHINGTON — As opioid use continues to proliferate across the D.C. region, local first responders are finding themselves having to save the lives of more people overdosing on illegal substances.

Last year, D.C. Police said opioid-related overdoses killed more than 420 people in the District.

The department recently released a video on social media chronicling what it is like for their officers to experience people who are overdosing on substances like fentanyl.

MPD officers Bryan Velasquez and Paul Weiss have had to use the lifesaving drug Narcan to revive people in distress several times.

Velasquez recalled one recent incident where he used Narcan on a person who regained consciousness in less than two minutes.

“Had it been a few more minutes that we found him, it was a good chance he may have been dead,” he said.

The officers said they often see people under the influence who are experiencing the lowest point of their life.

Velasquez said the victims of drug use come from a diverse set of backgrounds.

“They're men, women, Black, White, Hispanic,” he said. “It's non-discriminatory, it doesn't discriminate.”

Weiss pointed out many times officers find themselves having to revive people who have taken drugs they didn’t know were laced with lethal doses of fentanyl.

DC Police said that 10 people in Northeast D.C. lost their lives two weeks ago when they used a suspected bad batch of cocaine mixed with fentanyl.

“We are able to provide them almost a second life with the use of the deployment of Narcan,” Weiss said.

He added it’s important that regular citizens learn how to use Narcan because it could help save even more lives when first responders aren’t readily available.

“Being able to train the public on how to use it will ultimately save tons of more lives here in D.C.,” he said.

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