With deadly overdoses surpassing auto crashes as the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, it's good to see Minnesota legislators supporting naloxone bills moving quickly through committees.
Naloxone, known by the trade name Narcan, is an opioid antidote that gets people breathing again until emergency crews arrive. States using Narcan report thousands of lives saved, many of them young people.
Oddly, less buzz has swirled around the bill's less-sexy but equally important twin. Minnesota's Good Samaritan Law was introduced in concert with the naloxone bill last week. Supporters know that this pairing is the only way the lifesaving effort can work.
Because if you're watching someone overdose, but you're afraid to call 911, it doesn't matter how much Narcan there is in the world.
Michon Jenkin was scheduled to speak Tuesday at the Capitol in "100 percent" support of Steve's Law, also known as Minnesota's Good Samaritan + naloxone legislation. The law was named after Steve Rummler, of Edina, who died of an opioid overdose in 2011.
Jenkin, of Savage, will share her story at the House Judiciary Committee later this week. It's a nightmare of a story, but one that is growing increasingly familiar.
Jenkin's daughter, Ashley Jenkin-Segal, died June 22, 2013, of an accidental prescription drug overdose. She was 29. Her boyfriend was with her at the time and he did call 911 — after she'd been dead for more than four hours.
"He was fearful because of the implications for himself," Jenkin said of the man, who was on probation for drug-related offenses.