Portantino’s Opioid Overdose Prevention Bill Passes Assembly Health Committee
For Immediate Release: July 11, 2023
Contact: Lerna Shirinian, (818) 409-0400
Portantino’s Opioid Overdose Prevention Bill Passes Assembly Health Committee
Sacramento, California – Senate Bills 234, authored by Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank), passed the Assembly Health Committee. The measure addresses the rise in opioid-related deaths by making opioid antagonists such as Narcan readily available in schools and other places accessed by high-risk age groups. Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana) is a Joint Author of SB 234.
“Our schools and other highly attended places must have Narcan on site in the moment of crisis,” stated Senator Portantino. “Current law makes it optional to use Narcan for emergency purposes and that’s not sufficient. SB 234 will make it readily available.”
Naloxone (also known as Narcan) is a medication that reverses and blocks the effects of opioids and provides the opportunity for medical personnel to intervene. Administering naloxone does not harm individuals without opioids in their system. Massachusetts saw an 11 percent reduction in over-dose deaths in communities that implemented naloxone distribution programs and a large-scale national study showed that deaths decreased by 14 percent in states after they enacted naloxone access laws, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
“As the former Deputy Drug Czar under President Clinton, I know first-hand the extent to which substance abuse destroys the lives of individuals and their families,” said Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana). “This anguish is only amplified with the inclusion of fentanyl-laced substances in our drug stream. It’s clear that we have a major epidemic on our hands in California – I’m happy to be working with Senator Portantino to tackle this issue this year.”
SB 234 would require elementary and secondary schools to maintain unexpired doses of naloxone hydrochloride on site at all times, and have at least two employees at all times aware of its the location. The bill also requires California Community Colleges, the California State University, the University of California, independent institution of higher education, and private postsecondary educational institution to maintain unexpired doses of naloxone on their campus too. Additionally, SB 234 requires stadiums, concert venues, and amusement parks to maintain naloxone hydrochloride, too.
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