SUNY Morrisville Norwich Campus Professor Mark Blakeslee distributed Narcan kits and trained individuals on how to use them at Thursday afternoon’s seminar. (Zachary Meseck photo)

NORWICH – The SUNY Morrisville Human Services Institute presented a community forum on Narcan training on Thursday with criminal justice professor Mark Blakeslee heading the presentation.

The training took place in the community room, also know as 132A and B of Follett Hall on the SUNY Morrisville Norwich Campus. Narcan is a brand name for Naloxone, is a medication that works to rapidly reverse opioid overdoses.

According to Blakeslee, many of the people who are overdosing are generally the victims in the drug world, not the dealers.

"I grew up in a time where people referred to users as the junkie," he said. "Today, that doesn't apply to us, the user could be anyone – even our own kids."

Blakeslee said with heroin and meth usage rising, many people, even friends or family may become addicted, making Narcan training more useful now more than ever.