Elections officials across the country are stocking up on the overdose reversal medication naloxone. The reason is that election offices, vote centers, and government buildings are receiving suspicious letters containing threats and traces of fentanyl or white powder.
The mail is bringing back memories of 2001 when anthrax attacks killed five people. Elections officials reported ongoing harassment and threats before the suspicious mailings began. Now they are reaching out to local police, fire, and health departments for help stocking up on naloxone, a drug overdose reversal medicine.
There may be little risk to workers from incidental contact with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, but having naloxone on hand is probably a good idea to assure stressed ballot workers, the officials said. That thinking sounds like opioid addiction is at epidemic levels and it’s not out of the realm of thinking that workers may turn to drugs to cope with stress. It’s quite a statement.
“My team is usually in the direct fire just because we’re opening up thousands or millions of ballots depending on the election,” said Eldon Miller, who leads the ballot-opening staff at King County…
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