Drug addiction prevention is the key to saving lives, but overdose prevention is the next best thing when you can’t stop addicts from using. And California lawmakers agree.
Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 635 into law in California, allowing Naloxone, also known as Narcan, to save a person’s life after an opiate overdose.
Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in America, mostly from hydrocodone, oxycodone, heroin, and other opioids. The CDC has estimated that Naloxone has already saved over 10,000 lives since being introduced.
Naloxone is an opioid antagonist which blocks opioid receptors in the brain. It has been effective at restoring breathing after an accidental overdose and has been used in trial areas around California since 2008.
Beginning January 1, 2014, doctors can prescribe it to friends and family members of drug users in California to be administered at home if needed.
The law’s primary focus is to permit healthcare providers to prescribe Naloxone to people at risk of overdose, issue a standing order for the use of Naloxone, and protect all involved parties from civil or criminal action under Good Samaritan laws.
This is not a license to use drugs, as many opponents see it, but a way to save lives and protect first responders.
With the rise in heroin and opioid use in the United States, accidental overdose is a major concern, and this Bill addresses that issue. More than a dozen states are already on board; hopefully, more will follow soon.
Related:
Polysubstance Abuse: Addicted to the ‘High’ Rather Than the Drugs
Opioid Addiction Treatment Medications: Naltrexone vs. Buprenorphine
