New Missouri legislation goes into effect to battle opioid crisis

New legislation battling the opioid crisis goes into effect on Monday, giving Missourians more resources.

According to an official press release, two of the three measures taken to fight the opioid epidemic revolve around overdoses. The first order allows Department of Health and Senior Services Director Dr. Randall Williams to sign a standing order for naloxone prescriptions statewide. This means that anyone can get naloxone from a pharmacist without a prescription from a physician.

The second order is an expansion of the “Good Samaritan” law. This means that anyone who calls for emergency help during a drug or alcohol overdose can do so without worrying about being arrested or receiving other consequences. This is to encourage people to call 9-1-1 in the case of an overdose.

The third order is to let people with opioid addiction who are being treated with medication assisted therapy to have access to Missouri’s drug courts.

To learn more about the opioid crisis, click here.