HB 4: A matter of life or death

Hyperbole from overzealous editorial writers aside, scant few public-policy debates legitimately rise to the level of life-or-death issues. But debate on one such issue — in the form of House Bill 4 — is playing out this month in the halls of the Ohio General Assembly in Columbus. Its passage could realistically save the lives of hundreds of Ohioans yearly.

As such, it merits a speedy ride through the bureaucratic maze of the Statehouse and swift enactment by Gov. John Kasich.

Specifically, House Bill 4 would allow pharmacies to hand out doses of Naloxone, a proven antidote to potentially deadly opiod overdoses, to addicts, their friends and family members without first requiring a prescription. Removing the requirement for a prescription would speed access and save lives.

OVERDOSE TOLL STILL HIGH IN VALLEY

And as new data published in last Sunday’s Vindicator illustrates, many lives remain threatened by heroin and opioid abuse. In Mahoning and Trumbull counties alone, 104 such overdose deaths were reported in 2014.

Fortunately, the bill sponsored by Republican Reps. Robert Sprague of Findlay and Jeff Rezabek of Clayton zipped through the House with unanimous passage last Thursday. The Senate must now act with the same deliberate speed. The sooner Naloxone’s access is widened, the sooner its life-saving impact can expand.