AR113 1R

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman HERB CONAWAY, JR.

District 7 (Burlington)

Assemblyman DANIEL R. BENSON

District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)

Assemblywoman SHAVONDA E. SUMTER

District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)

Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE

District 37 (Bergen)

SYNOPSIS

Urges FDA to make naloxone available over the counter.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

As reported by the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee on May 8, 2014, with amendments.

An Assembly Resolution urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make naloxone available over the counter.

Whereas, According to the Office of the State Medical Examiner, drug-related deaths in New Jersey have increased from 1,026 deaths in 2011 to 1,294 deaths in 2012; and

Whereas, The Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse recently reported that in recent years, New Jersey has experienced a dramatic surge in heroin and opiate abuse, particularly among persons aged 18-25; and

Whereas, On May 2, 2013, Governor Christie signed into law the “Overdose Prevention Act,” which provides protection in the form of immunity from arrest, prosecution, and conviction for a use or simple possession charge when a person, in good faith, seeks medical assistance for himself or another person who is experiencing a drug overdose; and

Whereas, The Governor also recently issued a waiver to more than 28,000 certified EMTs to allow them to administer the drug naloxone to drug overdose patients in emergency situations Statewide; and

Whereas, Naloxone, an injectable opiate antagonist, can immediately reverse an opiate overdose and prevent overdose death; and

Whereas, Naloxone cannot be used to get high and is not addictive; and

Whereas, Research studies have found that making naloxone more widely available does not encourage people to use opiates more freely; and

Whereas, Overdose deaths can be prevented by making naloxone more readily available to those at risk of an opioid overdose, and to their families and peers; and

Whereas, Naloxone is regulated by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who held a hearing in April 2012 to consider proposals to make it available over the counter without a prescription; and

Whereas, The crisis of opiate abuse in this State and nationwide has only worsened since the FDA first considered making naloxone available over the counter two years ago; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. This House urges the Food and Drug Administration to assert its authority to make naloxone available over the counter without a prescription ¹, and to require the inclusion of a warning label

providing the 24-hour toll-free number for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for any emergency situations that may arise¹.

2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and to each member of Congress elected from this State.