Gov. Bill Walker has signed into law legislation allowing state health officials to extend a program for broader distribution of a drug used to prevent opioid overdose.
Last month, in declaring rampant opioid abuse a public health disaster, Walker proposed spending about $4.1 million in federal grants through August 2021 for distribution of naloxone. The drug can be used to prevent overdose.
He initially requested that his declaration be extended to February 2018. But lawmakers instead passed legislation permitting a standing medical order for the naloxone program through June 2021.
The measure also calls for reports on efforts to fight opioid abuse.
Walker says this is the first bill he’s signed this session, and in a statement thanked legislators for helping prioritize the issue.
