Drug Policy Legislation

SB 57 – Opioid Overdose Prevention Pilot Project (2013-2014)

Link to Bill:

http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=130_SB_57

Summary:

SB 57 would institute a pilot program in Lorain County to train and certify emergency responders to obtain and administer naloxone, a pharmaceutical drug used to counter the effects of an opiod overdose. The project would also require the implementation of a system for reporting instances of naloxone use, including maintaining records of the identity of the individual to whom the naloxone was administered.

Primary Sponsors:

Sen. Manning (R)

Secondary Sponsors:

Sen. Burke (R), Sen. Hughes (R), Sen. Jones (R), Sen. Lehner (R)

Committee:

Public Safety / Local Government / Veterans Affairs (S), Transportation / Public Safety / Homeland Security (H)

LSC Legislation Status:

http://lsc.state.oh.us/coderev/sen130.nsf/Senate+Bill+Number/0057?OpenDocument

Jurisdiction/Legislation Level:

State

Our take on this bill:

In general, the ACLU of Ohio supports these types of policies and programs, as they address important public health concerns outside of the criminal justice system.

However, SB 57 raises privacy concerns, because the legislation requires reporting the names of those who are administered naloxone to treat an apparent overdose. The ACLU of Ohio recommends amending SB 57 to use anonymous reporting.

Bill Status: