OLYMPIA— A bill to put NARCAN opioid overdose treatment in local schools unanimously passed the Senate today (49-0) as part of a coordinated effort to combat a historic climb in overdose rates among high-school-aged youth — a nearly threefold increase since 2019.
In the committee hearing on SB 5804, prime sponsor Sen. Patty Kuderer (D-Bellevue) nodded to a group of local students who first brought the idea of the legislation to her office, saying, “These courageous students from Lake Washington High School should be an inspiration to us all. This is their bill to increase the availability of potentially lifesaving NARCAN opioid overdose treatment in schools and save lives.”
Current law mandates that school districts with more than 2000 enrolled students equip their high schools with a single set of doses. This legislation would broaden that requirement to include all districts within the state regardless of size, as well as add elementary and middle schools, charter schools and state tribal compact schools, effectively putting doses in every school. A two-dose dispenser costs around $50.
SB 5804 now moves to the House for consideration.
