[News Release] – The Senate Public Safety Committee voted 5-0 Tuesday to approve a bill by Senator Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) that would put a life-saving antidote into the hands of first responders to prevent drug overdose deaths.

Fran Pavley

Senate Bill 1438 would ensure that police officers and other first responders are equipped with naloxone, an antidote that can reverse prescription painkiller and heroin overdoses. Last year, Governor Brown signed a law (AB 635, Ammiano) that made naloxone available to friends and family members but the law has been interpreted to lack clear authorization for law enforcement officers to carry and administer the drug.

“Prescription painkiller abuse afflicts people of all ages and backgrounds,” Senator Pavley said. “Making naloxone available to law enforcement can prevent needless deaths and give victims a second chance to seek treatment and break their addiction.”

Drug overdoses are the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, killing about 38,000 people each year. Last month, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called opioid overdose deaths an “urgent public health crisis” and urged law enforcement agencies to train and equip personnel with naloxone.

At least 17 states have adopted measures to increase access to naloxone and least six have either passed or have pending legislation that explicitly authorizes first responders to carry and administer naloxone.

Naloxone, also known as the “Second Chance Drug,” functions by blocking the receptors in the brain that take in opioids, restoring breathing in minutes and giving medical workers or family members time to bring the individual to the hospital. The antidote can be administered intravenously (like an EpiPen) or as a nasal spray, and it has no effect on individuals that have not taken opioids.