Last week in his Senate Update, Senator Randy Head said, “Drug abuse is rapidly becoming a serious issue in Indiana, and my fellow legislators and I are focused on protecting Hoosiers from harmful and sometimes deadly drug overdoses.”
Senate Bill 406 would make the antidote for a heroin overdose, Narcan, available to the public through a prescription from health-care professionals. While doctors, law enforcement and emergency workers continue to fight heroin use, Hoosiers are losing their lives to this dangerous drug.
Senator Head said, “More lives can be spared by allowing a family member or friend of an addict to obtain a prescription for Narcan to have on hand, helping deaths caused by heroin overdoses to be prevented.”
Last year, Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services used the drug more than 1,000 times. Head commented, “Under this legislation, there would be no liability for the professional prescribing Narcan, the pharmacist dispensing it or the person administering the drug.”
SB 406 unanimously passed the Senate last week and the governor signed it on Friday.
