The Wisconsin State Assembly unanimously passed a package of bills Jan. 22 aimed at combating what State Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has called Wisconsin’s heroin “epidemic.”
Heroin use and overdose fatalities have increased drastically in Wisconsin, according to a report released by the Wisconsin State Council on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention Committee and the 911 Good Samaritan Ad-hoc Committee.
State Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, authored a group of bills known as the Heroin and Opiate Prevention and Education package and has spearheaded the state’s legislative effort to help reduce heroin overdoses and dependency.
Nygren said the HOPE package had a dual purpose in both reducing the supply of heroin and saving lives in the event of an overdose.
One bill would give 911 callers amnesty for involvement with illegal drug use under a good-samaritan statute.
“In most cases they are actually with somebody when they are taking the drug, so we got to find a way to encourage people to dial 911 to save a life,” Nygren said.
Another bill Nygren proposed aims to arm first responders and EMTs with naloxone, a drug used to counter the effects of heroin overdoses. Current data tracking the deployment of naloxone, shows that its use increased 22 percent from 2008-2012, which also points to a rise in heroin use.
Nygren emphasized that many major cities allow their emergency personnel to carry and administer naloxone. However, because heroin is affecting smaller rural communities as well, the bill will legalize the use of naloxone for all first responders in the state.
Nygren, quoting a medical expert who spoke at a public hearing said, “nobody dies from naloxone, they die if they don't get naloxone.”
Two other bills included in the package aim to limit the availability of prescription drugs by requiring an ID to pick them up and set up a drug disposal program to allow citizens to safely dispose of outdated opium-based medication.
With a unanimous vote in the Assembly, Nygren expects strong bipartisan support in the state Senate.
“People are aware that yes, this is happening in small town Wisconsin, yes, this happening in my community and I think that’s the most positive thing,” Nygren said.
