California can and must do more to prevent opioid overdose

OPINION: The “fourth wave” of the opioid epidemic is crashing through the state, causing a dramatic increase in overdose deaths. In 2021 alone, more than 7,000 Californians died from an overdose. This phase is being driven by the combination of the synthetic opioid fentanyl and stimulants like methamphetamines and cocaine.

To address this, addiction treatment professionals, law enforcement, behavioral health advocates, and families impacted by overdose have come together to call on Governor Gavin Newsom to sign Senate Bill 641 by Senator Richard Roth (D-Riverside) into law. Co-sponsored by the California Association of Alcohol and Drug Program Executives (CAADPE), the Alexander Neville Foundation, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, the legislation will help ensure that those who administer overdose reversal medications have broad access to the most effective overdose reversal medications available to save lives.

SB 641 will achieve this by expanding California’s Naloxone Distribution Project (NDP) to newer FDA-approved drugs that prevent deaths caused by the ever-changing and more deadly types of synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl. Fentanyl now accounts for the vast majority of California’s overdose deaths. The proliferation of fentanyl, which is up to 50 times stronger than heroin, has made it increasingly difficult to reverse overdoses with a single Narcan device, so stronger formulations and newer treatments must be made available. Between 2019 and 2021, overdose deaths increased by 121%.

Created in 2018, the NDP provides eligible applicants with the overdose reversal drug naloxone at no cost. But as more deadly and complex types of synthetic opioids like fentanyl are increasingly mixed with recreational drugs like cannabis, cocaine, and other stimulants, a larger population is unknowingly placed at risk of opioid overdose.

By signing SB 641 into law, California will better equip NDP participants to save lives by providing access to all FDA-approved opioid reversal drugs. A person experiencing a chaotic drug event deserves harm reduction and robust treatment options, not a death sentence. We must ensure we have access to every tool possible in the fight against this epidemic, especially in areas where opioid abuse is further entrenched in communities and users have developed a higher tolerance.

This legislation is a beacon of hope in our battle against the devastating opioid epidemic. California must do everything in its power to fight and win the battle against opioid addiction and overdose. We must ensure fewer families receive that dreaded phone call telling them their loved one has succumbed to an opioid overdose. We can start by urging Governor Newsom to sign SB 641 into law.

Robb Layne is the Executive Director of (CAADPE) the California Association of Alcohol and Drug Program Executives