Ohio should OK naloxone bill

Toledo Blade: Once in a great while, a bill so obviously good comes along that not even one member of the Ohio Senate can reasonably oppose it. Such is the case with a lifesaving measure that would vastly expand the use of naloxone to reduce fatal opioid overdoses, including those caused by heroin, oxycodone, and hydrocodone.

Last week, senators unanimously approved the bill. Representatives should approve it, and Gov. John Kasich should sign it.

The bill aims to reduce Ohio’s record number of fatal overdoses from heroin and prescription painkillers — now the state’s leading cause of accidental death. It would allow licensed prescribers to provide naloxone, known by the trade name Narcan, to an addict’s friends or family members.

The only argument against expanding naloxone use is that it could enable opiate abusers to keep using. That’s nonsense, and cruel to boot.