General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5063
February Session, 2012 LCO No. 322
*00322_______PH_*
Referred to Committee on Public Health
Introduced by:
(PH)
General Assembly
Raised Bill No. 5063
February Session, 2012
LCO No. 322
*00322_______PH_*
Referred to Committee on Public Health
Introduced by:
(PH)
AN ACT CONCERNING TREATMENT FOR A DRUG OVERDOSE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 17a-714a of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2012):
A licensed health care professional who is permitted by law to prescribe an opioid antagonist may, if acting with reasonable care, prescribe, dispense or administer an opioid antagonist [to a drug user in need of such intervention] to treat or prevent a drug overdose without being liable for damages [to such person] in a civil action or subject to criminal prosecution for prescribing, dispensing or administering such opioid antagonist or for any subsequent use of such opioid antagonist. For purposes of this section, "opioid antagonist" means naloxone hydrochloride or any other similarly acting and equally safe drug approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of drug overdose.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2012 17a-714a
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
October 1, 2012
17a-714a
Statement of Purpose:
To clarify that health care professionals may prescribe opioid antagonists to a broader group of persons for the prevention of drug overdoses.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]