Law Will Expand Use Of Drug To Combat Overdoses
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation that will expand use of a treatment to restore breathing after a drug overdose.
A drug known as naloxone is used in hospitals and by paramedics to revive individuals who may have overdosed on a prescription or illegal drug. The new law also will allow other health care providers to prescribe the drug.
Bill author and Democratic Assemblyman Tom Ammiano of San Francisco says enacting AB635 will save lives. There were more than 2,700 drug overdose deaths in California in 2010, according to a legislative analysis of the bill.
Brown announced signing the bill Thursday. It was sponsored by the Harm Reduction Coalition, which works to reduce consequences to drug use, and the California Society of Addiction Medicine.
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