How an LA high school student pushed for new law allowing minors to carry Narcan on campus
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The fentanyl crisis has been devastating for so many people who have lost loved ones due to drugs.
The loss was so devastating to Libby Paquette, a student at the Marlborough School in Hancock Park, that she worked to bring about new legislation designed to save lives.
She helped get a California law passed that will make it legal for minors to carry Narcan and fentanyl test strips at school.
The fatal fentanyl poisoning of 15-year-old Melanie Ramos at Helen Bernstein High School in Hollywood two years ago was a pivotal moment for Libby.
Libby didn't know Melanie, but Bernstein High School is just a mile from Libby's own school, and it's where Libby spent several years playing sports.
She said, the loss of Melanie felt too close to home.
This past summer, 17-year-old Libby found herself addressing the California State Legislature,
"Narcan is a life-saving medication that is now available over the counter, but it need to be in the hands of all California students," Libby said in her testimony Legislature.
Libby advocated for the bill she proposed to state Sen. Anthony Portantino during a internship in his office.
"When he presented the mock bill project, I knew exactly what I was going to do," she said in an interview with ABC7. "I wanted to make sure that anybody who would ever come into any contact with even a painkiller was able to protect themselves from potential death -- even if that included middle school."
