Narcan in Cambridge? (Boston, Lawrence, Harvard: real estate, buy, schools)

[jasonb885]

I don't know what the link policy is here, but according to a NYTimes article today Cambridge may one day setup lock boxes with Narcan for opioid overdoses. So the article says Central Sq is between the two most drug infested areas in Cambridge, so I have to ask where? I spent a few months living in Central and clearly I lack attention to detail. I had no idea.

Thoughts?

[Dm84]

Harvard Square is a dump filled with homeless addicts and Central on Mass Ave isn't too far behind IMO.

[rethcir]

Don't be so friggin melodramatic. Harvard Square is far from a dump. Sure there are a lot of panhandlers. But drive up to Lawrence or down to the Bronx before you calll it a dump.

Central certainly does have a lot of homeless ambling about, but it's busy enough that I have never felt unsafe there.

[Dm84]

Originally Posted by rethcir

Don't be so friggin melodramatic. Harvard Square is far from a dump. Sure there are a lot of panhandlers. But drive up to Lawrence or down to the Bronx before you calll it a dump.

Central certainly does have a lot of homeless ambling about, but it's busy enough that I have never felt unsafe there.

I've been to Lawrence and the Bronx. Are they worse? Sure. That doesn't sugarcoat how crappy Harvard Square is and yes, I've watched people shoot up out in the open there (something I've never had to deal with in the Bronx).

[tysmith95]

Originally Posted by Dm84

I've been to Lawrence and the Bronx. Are they worse? Sure. That doesn't sugarcoat how crappy Harvard Square is and yes, I've watched people shoot up out in the open there (something I've never had to deal with in the Bronx).

Harvard Square is not crappy. It's not any different then other major city centers (in fact i'd say that Downtown Crossing is worse).

Hell there was a guy in times square who openly offered me cocaine.

[timberline742]

When you hang out in alleys at 3am you can see all sorts of things. Harvard Square is tame as heck. Heck, it was grittier in the 80s and even then it was lily white and tame.

[alidmc]

I have family in Central Square and we walk down to Harvard Square when we visit. Every time we walk Mass Ave through Central, we have walked by at least one drug deal.
If I was walking alone, it wouldn't phase me. I have walked passed several drug deals on Essex St. in Boston near the intersection of Tremont on my way to the Back Bay. It is a bit unsettling, though, when you walk by with your kids.

[porterhouse]

There is one particular part of Mass Ave near Central square that is still a bit unsavory. Specifically the area around Carl Barron Plaza at the south corner of the intersection of Mass Ave and River Street and the 600 block of Mass Ave immediately adjacent to this area. The rest of Mass Ave has slowly gentrified and been built up, however none of it has been truly dangerous in the past 25 years.

Harvard Square? Anyone who finds that area too gritty really needs to get out more and broaden their horizons. FWIW some of the most valuable real estate in the country is located between Harvard and Central Squares and it is rapidly appreciating every day.


To the OP's initial question, there is a needle exchange near Central square that tends to localize some of the drug activity, but the plaza has always been a magnet for users. As far as Narcan is concerned, the Cambridge police department very recently starting using it to support Cambridge Fire and EMS responses to overdose situations. This has already saved lives and will save more, as it has in virtually every municipality across the country where it is in use. Again this is for police use only.

[mapleguy]

Why Police only ?


In Canada, ANYONE can buy it, with out a prescription. Anyone.


And it is a nasal spray so no need for a IV injection.


In Toronto, the public buildings, schools, stores and buses and taxis carry it. So do the ems fire and police services .


We treat drug addiction as a medical problem not a crime.


link. Health Canada approves non-prescription naloxone nasal spray - The Globe and Mail


xx.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by mapleguy

Why Police only ?


In Canada, ANYONE can buy it, with out a prescription. Anyone.


And it is a nasal spray so no need for a IV injection.


In Toronto, the public buildings, schools, stores and buses and taxis carry it. So do the ems fire and police services .


We treat drug addiction as a medical problem not a crime.


link. Health Canada approves non-prescription naloxone nasal spray - The Globe and Mail


xx.

Maybe because Narcan only serves to enable the addiction. If it is that easy to obtain it, then the chances of receiving real medical intervention are diminished.