San Francisco supervisor proposes overdose reversal medication retail mandate
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A San Francisco official wants to require all retail pharmacies in the city to sell overdose reversal medication.
Why it matters: San Francisco is in the throes of a fentanyl crisis, with accidental overdose deaths on pace to surpass figures from previous years.
What's happening: This week, Supervisor Matt Dorsey introduced legislation mandating all local pharmacies carry naloxone or other medicines to reverse opioid overdoses.
- If approved, the city's health code would require every retail pharmacy to stock at least two boxes of the medications.
- Pharmacies out of compliance with the health code would be subject to fines up to $1,000 per violation.
Of note: Many San Francisco pharmacies already carry naloxone, but Dorsey said in a written statement that a mandate "is an important step we can take to maximize its availability and help save lives."
- Walgreens and Safeway, for example, already carry naloxone in all of their pharmacies in the city, they said in a press release issued by Dorsey's office.
- Yes, but: About 20% of San Francisco retail pharmacies did not have naloxone in stock, Dorsey said, citing a secret shopper survey from the city's public health department.
What they're saying: "Even with Narcan set for over-the-counter sales later this year, we know that some retailers' hesitation to engage consumers around illicit drug use is preventing the market from facilitating what should be universal access," Dorsey said.
- Jeffrey Hom, a director with the city's health department, told The Associated Press the proposed legislation "removes one more barrier to everyone having access to this lifesaving medication."
By the numbers: In May, 74 people in San Francisco died from accidental overdoses, compared to 69 in April, preliminary data released this month by the city's health examiner showed.
- From January through May, the city recorded 346 accidental overdoses, about 80% of them due to fentanyl, with 85% of the deaths in May alone due to the drug.
- If overdose deaths continue at this rate, San Francisco would surpass accidental overdose figures from 2020, 2021 and 2022.
What to watch: Federal, state and local officials are all actively trying to address the fentanyl crisis.
- In May, a multi-agency effort including the California Highway Patrol and California National Guard launched to crack down on fentanyl trafficking in San Francisco, leading to the seizure earlier this month of more than 4.2 kilograms of fentanyl in the Tenderloin and the areas around the neighborhood.
- Meanwhile, the federal government said it plans to include San Francisco in a drug enforcement program called Operation Overdrive, which is designed to combat fentanyl trafficking by targeting cartel activity and identify areas with organized drug activity.