Naloxone Would Be Mandated In All PA High Schools Under Proposed Bill

PENNSYLVANIA — Forthcoming legislation would mandate that all public high schools in Pennsylvania contain naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug, as the state continues its war against an epidemic that has impacted millions.

The legislation would empower school nurses, teachers and other trained individuals to administer naloxone to students.

"The opioid crisis knows no age and ensuring that our high schools are properly equipped with the tools necessary to prepare and respond to overdoses will not only encourage a larger conversation on addiction, but most importantly save lives," State Rep. Kevin Boyle (D-Philadelphia), who is introducing the bill, said in a co-sponsorship memorandum.

Notably, pre-empting likely criticism, the bill says the individual who administers the treatment would be immune from any criminal or civil prosecution or "professional review," so long as they were acting in good faith.

It's not the first time lawmakers have attempted to get naloxone in Pennsylvania schools. This bill was originally introduced in the 2017-18 session as House Bill 1774, with nearly identical language. It did not progress through the Republican legislature, but enjoyed healthy support from the left.

However, the bill comes into a different political and social environment in 2022-23. Not only is the House split between Democrats and Republicans, but continued impacts of the opioid crisis have vastly broadened awareness of the issue and put further pressure on lawmakers to take concrete action.

All told, the opioid overdose crisis that has been linked to more than 500,000 U.S. deaths since 1999, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Provisional CDC data for 2021 shows opioid overdose deaths increased from an estimated 70,029 in 2020 to 80,816 in 2021. Overdose deaths from synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, and psychostimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine, also continued to increase from 2020 to 2021.

More than 5,000 people in Pennsylvania died of drug overdoses in from May 2021 to May 2022, according to the CDC, though that number does represent a 4.4 percent decrease from the year previous. Although that data isn’t sorted by type of drug, the CDC says 82 percent of overdose deaths involve synthetic opioids.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education would be charged with overseeing the installation of the naloxone, while consulting with the Department of Health.

The full text of the bill is available online here.