WASHINGTON — As heroin use continues to claim lives in Maryland, police officers are being trained to respond with a prescription previously only carried by paramedics.

Takoma Park Police Chief Alan Goldberg has responded to emergencies in Maryland for decades, and says there’s no doubt heroin use is on the rise.

Now, police officers will have the tool they need to combat the opiate’s deadly effects: a nasal spray heroin antidote called Narcane.

“It is relatively inexpensive. It’s a relatively harmless antidote. I mean, there’s no side effects if a person is not on an opiate,” Goldberg says.

Police in Anne Arundel County and Chevy Chase are already trained to carry Narcan, he says.

“The officers actually get a prescription and have to go pick it up, because it’s a prescription drug,” Goldberg says.

Other departments, including Takoma Park, can be trained to administer the antidote, he says.

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