HLS 21RS-2411 ORIGINAL 2021 Regular Session HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 100 BY REPRESENTATIVE FONTENOT DRUGS/CONTROLLED: Requests the Louisiana Department of Health, office of public health, to study drug-related overdoses 1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION 2To urge and request the Louisiana Department of Health, office of public health, to study 3 how to effectively provide assistance to individuals who are being administered 4 naloxone multiple times, and to report the findings to the legislature prior to the 5 convening of the 2022 Regular Session. 6 WHEREAS, drug overdose deaths are now the number one cause of accidental death 7in the United States; and 8 WHEREAS, the rise in the number of hospitalizations and deaths resulting from 9prescription drug misuse and abuse resulted in increased access to naloxone, and such 10increased use played a role in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's 112014 National Drug Control Strategy, issued July 9, 2014; and 12 WHEREAS, Louisiana has one of the highest per capita overdose rates in the nation, 13ranking eleventh overall; and 14 WHEREAS, last year, fifteen out of every one hundred thousand persons in 15Louisiana died due to accidental overdose; and 16 WHEREAS, many other states have enacted policies to provide limited immunity 17from arrest or prosecution for individuals with minor drug violations in order to encourage 18others to summon help at the scene of an overdose; and 19 WHEREAS, to protect its citizens, Louisiana enacted Act 192 of the 2015 Regular 20Session so that overdose victims can get emergency assistance and follow-up treatment 21without fear of prosecution; and Page 1 of 2 HLS 21RS-2411 ORIGINAL HCR NO. 100 1 WHEREAS, Act 192 of the 2015 Regular Session allows for a person acting in good 2faith to receive a naloxone or other opioid antagonist prescription from a licensed healthcare 3professional, and to possess and administer the naloxone to an individual appearing to 4experience an opiate-related overdose; and 5 WHEREAS, Act 192 further provides that the healthcare professional and the person 6administering the naloxone in good faith shall be immune from prosecution and civil liability 7as a result of their good-faith effort to provide medical assistance; and 8 WHEREAS, administering the naloxone or other opioid antagonist and assisting the 9victim with securing emergency medical attention is evidence of good faith. 10 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana requests the 11Louisiana Department of Health, office of public health, to study how to effectively provide 12assistance to individuals who are being administered naloxone multiple times and to report 13the findings to the legislature prior to the convening of the 2022 Regular Session. 14 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted 15to the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health. 16 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Department of Health, office of 17public health, shall submit one print copy and one electronic copy of any report produced 18pursuant to this Resolution to the David R. Poynter Legislative Research Library as required 19by R.S. 24:772. DIGEST The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)] HCR 100 Original 2021 Regular Session Fontenot Requests the La. Dept. of Health, office of the public health, to study how to effectively provide assistance to individuals who are being administered naloxone multiple times, and to report the findings to the legislature prior to the convening of the 2022 R.S. Page 2 of 2