JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Gov. Jay Nixon signed HB 1568 Tuesday, which will expand access to the drug naloxone, a drug designed to block the effects of opioid use and overdose. Naloxone may also be viable as a way to treat addiction to opiates like heroin and some prescription pain pills.
“Increasing access to naloxone is a proven, safe and highly-effective way to prevent opioid overdose deaths,” Nixon said in a statement. “While I am disappointed that the legislature failed to pass a prescription drug monitoring program, expanding access to naloxone is an important step forward that will save lives.”
Under the legislation, pharmacists can sell the drug can sell the drug as a prescription and grants immunity to anyone who uses naloxone to treat someone suffering from an opioid overdose. It also allows individuals or organizations to keep the drug so long as they do not sell it.
Prescription drug deaths have risen dramatically in the United States from 10,000 in 2001 to over 25,000 in 2014. Measures like the one written by Rep. Steve Lynch are designed to stem the tide.
