ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Georgia is placing Narcan, the lifesaving opioid overdose antidote, in every public school in the state, officials announced.

State leaders said the initiative could save the lives of students, teachers and visitors.

Narcan, also known as naloxone, reverses an opioid overdose by preventing opioids from shutting down the brain’s breathing center. It cannot produce a high, does not harm people who are not overdosing and can take effect within one to two minutes.

Jeff Breedlove, a former addict turned advocate, said overdoses happen faster than most people realize, and Narcan gives schools a fighting chance in the critical four- to five-minute window before an overdose becomes fatal.

“Narcan in schools is going to save lives — not just students, but

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