Harm Reduction Ohio asks state to affirm that non-profit groups and trained volunteers can distribute naloxone

Can non-profit groups distribute naloxone in Ohio?

(Answer should be “yes, definitely!”)

Harm Reduction Ohio today asked the Ohio Board of Pharmacy for guidance on whether trained individuals have the legal right in Ohio to distribute naloxone, the overdose-reversing drug that prevents death.

Naloxone is given out free via local health departments under the Ohio Department of Health’s Project DAWN. The program has increased access to naloxone in Ohio but has struggled to get the overdose-reversing drug into the drug-using community where overdose risk is high.

The legislature approved a law last year to expand access to naloxone. However, the Board of Pharmacy has not directly stated whether it agrees that  non-profit 501(c)3 organizations, such as Harm Reduction Ohio, are “service entities” that may distribute naloxone without obtaining a license to distribute dangerous drugs.

Read the letter

Ohio Board of Pharmacy Naloxone pdf