With the passage of Act 135 of 2022, all opioid reversal medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration now fall under the Commonwealth’s Good Samaritan Law, giving wider access to these medications and legal immunity for those who use it in the case of an overdose.  
 

In the near future, I will be introducing legislation to amend The Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act to provide educational resources regarding opioid reversal medications to the public, including in our schools, universities, and prisons.   
 

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, in 2023, one Pennsylvanian died of a drug overdose every two hours. Of the 4,719 overdose deaths in 2023, 83% were opioid-related and overdose rates among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) were higher than rates among white and non-Hispanic individuals and show smaller decreases in rates than decreases seen in white and non-Hispanic individuals, demonstrating widening disparities. Making all opioid reversal medicines available for use is a step in the right direction, but we need to ensure that people have access to these medications and are educated on their use. 
 

My legislation will mandate that state agencies develop and publish opioid overdose training and instruction materials free of charge on publicly accessible websites. Additionally, this legislation would ensure that employees and inmates at correctional facilities are educated on opioid reversal medications and that people released from correctional facilities have access to these medications upon their release. School and university staff members will also be designated to administer opioid antagonists if needed, and all staff and students will have the opportunity to be informed about overdoses and opioid antagonists.  
 

Please join me in co-sponsoring this life saving measure.