Andrew Powell
A new measure would allow schools to purchase, use, and maintain a supply of opioid antagonists.
The bill (HB 355), filed by Kissimmee Democrat Rep. Jose Alvarez, would amend Florida statutes to allow more than naloxone — also referred to by one of its brand names, Narcan — to be kept in public K-12 schools and colleges and university campuses within the Florida College System, including state university housing, to help prevent student overdoses from opioids like fentanyl and heroin.
In the bill, school districts and colleges would be able to purchase U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved emergency opioid antagonists from a wholesale distributor or licensed manufacturer, which the school could then keep in a secure location onsite.
School district employees who administer the emergency antagonists in compliance with state law are immune from civil liability. If passed, the law would come into effect July 1, 2025.
Data collected in 2024 showed teenagers in Florida are 5.5% less likely to have used illicit drugs than the average American teen, according to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics. However, drug use is still prevalent, with 114,000 teens 12-17 years old, or 7.87%, reporting they had used substances during that time period.
Approximately 0.35% of teens reported they had used cocaine in 2024, while 0.14% said they had used methamphetamines. Limited data has Florida teens sitting around 0.03% for heroin use, while 2.35% of teens had admitted they had abused prescription pain killers.
The NCDAS further reported that adults 18-25 in Florida were 20.25% less likely to use illicit substances than the average American in the same age group. However, 641,000 adults in that age group reported they had used illicit drugs within a month of taking the survey.
Save Our Society from Drugs reported in January 2025 that the number of overdoses in Florida has begun to drop. Fentanyl is the leading cause of drug-related deaths and is responsible for 4,962 fatalities.
However, shifting trends show heroin overdoses have dropped by 59%, while heroin-related deaths have dropped by 54.5%. Fentanyl overdoses and fentanyl-related deaths dropped 11% and 12%, respectively.
The drop in fatal overdoses could be directly attributed to the availability of opioid antagonists, Scientific American reported. Some opioid antagonists, like naloxone, are now available to purchase over the counter at pharmacies.
However, CDC data points out that while overall fentanyl overdoses in the U.S. dropped 4% between 2022 and 2023, deaths currently still sit at 31.3 deaths for every 100,000 people.
