Training

Several educational campaigns have been conducted in California, including an opioid education and awareness campaign for youth with a focus on fentanyl awareness.

Additionally, the Campus Opioid Act, signed by Governor Newsom in 2022, requires every public college campus in California to distribute a state-approved medication to treat opioid overdoses, such as naloxone, and to include information about opioid overdoses in orientation courses. Building on these efforts, Governor Newsom signed AB 2429 (Alvarez), which requires fentanyl education to be included in health courses.

Last year, the governor started opioids.ca.gov – a comprehensive website with resources for Californians. The site serves as a trusted source of information on prevention, data, treatment, and support. Californians can also access information here about the state’s use of opioid settlement funds and efforts to hold drug traffickers accountable.

prevention

The state has gone well beyond education and has thrown its weight behind the overdose crisis. A history of racial and economic inequalities has contributed to the opioid crisis and severely impacted access to life-saving medications and treatments. Recognizing this, California is working to ensure that those who most need support and help can access the resources necessary to help themselves and their loved ones and prevent overdose deaths.

Beginning of the yearthe Governor announced the launch of an over-the-counter (OTC) CalRx® brand naloxone HCL nasal spray (4 mg) available free to eligible organizations through the Naloxone Distribution Project (NDP). This follows the state’s contract with Amneal Pharmaceuticals to purchase an over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray through CalRx®’s Naloxone Access Initiative at a significantly reduced price. Through the NDP, the state has distributed more than 4 million kits, saving more than 285,000 lives.

California also places a high priority on removing drugs, including illegal fentanyl, from California’s streets and neighborhoods. Last year, Governor Newsom expanded the California National Guard’s work to prevent drug trafficking by transnational criminal organizations and created a statewide drug enforcement task force. The task force has been invaluable to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies – Seizure of 8 million pills in the first six months of 2024.