Last week, the California Senate voted 39-0 in support of a lifesaving overdose prevention bill. SB 767, authored by Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles), would offer protection in certain cases for doctors who prescribe naloxone, a drug that can be used to reverse heroin overdose.

If the bill becomes law, it will help to alleviate clinicians' concerns about liability if a patient gives his or her naloxone to someone else. Current worries about this issue have deterred doctors from widely prescribing naloxone, even though the drug has no effect on someone who does not have opiates in their system, and is regulated at the same level as prescription ibuprofen.

SB 767 would lead to increased naloxone access for health agencies that seek to incorporate overdose prevention into their programs.

The bill, which is co-sponsored by our allies at the Harm Reduction Coalition and the County of Los Angeles, has yet to receive a “no” vote.    

Nikos Leverenz, director of DPA’s California Capital Office, who testified in support of the bill before the Senate Appropriations Committee, said, “SB 767 is an important measure that will provide doctors with needed legal protection when prescribing naloxone for overdose prevention programs. It will ultimately help save lives that may otherwise be lost.”

More information on the bill may be found on the Harm Reduction Coalition’s website.