West Virginia University
The Student Assembly - Student Government Association
Assembly Bill: AB-2020-05
AN ASSEMBLY BILL TO CO-SPONSOR VIRTUAL NALOXONE TRAINING AND TO MANDATE ANNUAL NALOXONE TRAINING
Short Title: Changing the Culture of Recovery Through Education
Author(s): Sarah Zanabli, Senator
Sponsor(s): Amelia Jones, President Pro Tempore
Sohan Daniel, Senator
Sarah Ihlenfeld, Senator
Arlie Hitt, College Senator (Davis)
Jacqueline Bonar, College Senator (Reed)
Contributor(s): Tracey Picou, Executive Secretary
First Reading Date: 10/28/2020
Whereas, The WVU Student Government Association Constitution states that the organization desires to "ensure the personal 33 freedoms and general welfare of the students within the university"; and,
Whereas, Everyday 128 people die from an opioid overdose1 and opioids accounted for about 70% of all 67,367 drug overdoses in 20182, and,
Whereas, In West Virginia, drug overdose deaths declined from 883 deaths in 2017 to 702 in 2018 such that deaths from prescription opioids declines however deaths from heroin and synthetic opioids remain steady2, and,
Whereas, The average U.S. rate of prescriptions per 100 persons is 51.4 prescriptions, however providers in West VIrginia wrote and average of 69.3 opioid prescriptions for every 100 persons, which is among the highest rate in the country but is the lowest rate in the state since 2006. Use of prescription opioids can cause dependence and tolerance whihc leads many to switch to heroin if they can no longer obtain prescription opiates2, and,
Whereas, Synthetic opioids, including fentanyl which is 50 times stronger than heroin, killed more Americans than any other type of opioid in 2018. West Virginia accounted for the highest synthetic opioid-related death rate in the nation in 2018: a rate of 34 per 100,0003, and,
Whereas, A nationally representative survey conducted in 2018 found that one in four college students meet the standards for substance abuse, which is defined as the dependence on an addictive substance. Furthermore the rate of drug addiction in college students is higher that the general public4, and,
Whereas, Naloxone is a safe medication that is used to immediately reverse an opioid overdose by attaching to the opioid receptor effectively removing and blocking the effects of other opioids. It will not harm an individual and can be administered via an injection or nasal spray which lasts about 30-90 minutes. Some individuals may need multiple doses of Naloxone in order to save them from respiratory failure5, and,