Harm Reduction Substance Use Disorders

The act:

• Requires a carrier that provides coverage for opiate antagonists to reimburse a hospital if the hospital provides a covered person with an opiate antagonist upon discharge;
• Requires a pharmacist who dispenses a prescription for an opioid to notify the individual to whom the opioid is being dispensed about the availability of an opiate antagonist;
• Allows a pharmacist or pharmacy technician to sell a nonprescription syringe or needle to any person and exempts pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who sell nonprescription syringes or needles from the drug paraphernalia criminal statutes;
• Extends civil and criminal immunity for a person who acts in good faith to furnish or administer an opiate antagonist to an individual the person believes to be suffering an opiate-related drug overdose when the opiate antagonist was expired; and
• Allows a nonprofit organization to operate a clean syringe exchange program without local board of health approval and requires the nonprofit organization to annually report specified information to the department of public health and environment.
  (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)