As physicians deeply involved in the maritime industry and emergency physicians, we endorse the concept of carrying naloxone (Narcan) as part of the vessel medical chest especially if narcotics are included in the vessel’s medical inventory. Despite being controversial, we encourage vessel owners to drug test ALL crew and not just those crew as required by the USCG. To have a crew member or seafood processor working while compromised by prescribed or illegal drugs creates danger for the entire vessel and those aboard. We also acknowledge that the over-prescribing of narcotics by our colleagues is a significant contributor to the crisis we face as a society and we are pleased to share that this unfortunate failure is being aggressively addressed at many levels in the medical community.
Please read the article below regarding the impact of the opiate abuse crisis on the fishing industry.