OPIOID OVERDOSE REVERSAL BILL LAST TO PASS ARIZONA LEGISLATURE
In the last minutes of their session, the Arizona Legislature voted 28-0-2 to pass a bill allowing community members to access naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal medication, aligning Arizona with at least 45 other states. Advocates, chronic pain sufferers, and people suffering from addiction breathed a sigh of relief, as the bill both facilitates access to the life-saving, easy to administer medication and removes liability from anyone who administers, dispenses, or prescribes it, provided they had done so in good faith. In 2014, approximately 1200 Arizonans died of overdose, many of which may have been prevented with the use of naloxone.
“Although addressing the vulnerabilities of substance use takes a multi-faceted approach, access to naloxone is instrumental in preventing needless tragedy for thousands of Arizonans, while providing opportunities for treatment, health care, and education for some of our most marginalized community members,” says executive director of SPW Haley Coles.
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