Indiana lawmakers are on the brink of allowing Narcan to be available over-the-counter as part of the effort to combat heroin and other opiate-related deaths.
Senate Bill 187 gives authority to the state health department to issue a standing order so the drug, which can reverse the effects of a heroin or other opiate-based-drug overdose, can be sold in pharmacies without previous doctor approval. The proposal passed both chambers of the Statehouse but is set to go to a conference committee sometime this week before heading to Gov. Mike Pence for final approval.
The act would then take effect July 1, which is the activation date for most bills passed during a legislative session. Pence has already indicated he will support the proposal.
The bill was authored by Indianapolis Republican Sen. Jim Merritt. One of its House sponsors was local Rep. Wendy McNamara. Merritt called McNamara a “teammate” on the proposal. It passed both chambers unanimously.
“It is crucial that we allow Hoosiers to easily purchase this life-saving medicine so that in the event of an overdose they can act quickly and hopefully save a life,” McNamara said in a news release supporting the bill. “By allowing Narcan to be sold over the counter, we are offering family and friends of drug addicts immediate access to drugs that can protect their loved ones.”
Last year, state legislators passed a Merritt authored bill aimed at allowing friends and family members to get a doctor’s prescription so they could get Narcan. However, Merritt said that law did not have the desired effect because many doctors were hesitant to prescribe it without seeing the user first.
“Addicts don’t want to go the doctor. It’s chilling to them, and if the doctors aren’t willing to prescribe it without an in-person examination, pharmacists aren’t willing to stock it because it has a shelf life,” he said. “We have a market problem here.”
Merritt said he has been assured that pharmacies will stock Narcan if the bill becomes law. He said CVS already stocks it in stores that in many states where it is available over the counter. Walgreens does as well.
Like the 2015 law, Merritt said the current proposal’s goal is to allow loved ones of users to have the antidote in case of an emergency. He acknowledged that he doesn’t expect the drug users themselves to buy it. The bill doesn’t require that the buyer’s identifying information be recorded.
“Moms, dads, sisters and brothers — they know they are living with an addict, and they just want (Narcan). It’s a safety blanket for them,” Merritt said. “This (also) is for those who know someone down the block and want to be prepared.”
Area ambulances have carried Narcan since the 1980s. During the last couple years, several law enforcement agencies have equipped their officers with it at the urging of Congregations Acting for Justice and Empowerment, an alliance of several local churches and other faith groups.
The Evansville area has largely dodged the heroin resurgence that other parts of the Midwest, including Indianapolis, have seen. But the Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office reported there were six suspected heroin deaths here in 2015, the first such reported deaths in at least three years.
Evansville police officials have also reported that the drug has become more prevalent recently as well.
Though officers are trained how to use Narcan before it is given to them, Merritt said it is safe and easy enough to be used by anyone in an emergency situation, whether they have training or not.
“It is a very simple procedure,” he said.