(a) According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overdose deaths remain a leading cause of injury-related deaths in the United States, and the majority of overdose deaths involve opioids. From 2000 to 2015, more than half a million people died from drug overdoses across the United States. In 2021, more than 71,000 people died from synthetic opioid-related drug overdoses in the United States. On October 26, 2017, the Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared the opioid crisis a national public health emergency and has renewed such declaration every 90 days since 2017.
(b) According to the California Department of Public Health, based on preliminary data, there were 6,843 opioid-related overdose deaths in California in 2021; 5,722 of these deaths were related to fentanyl, and 224 of the fentanyl-related overdose deaths were teens, ages 15–19 years old.
(c) According to the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, there were 647 accidental drug overdose deaths in San Francisco in 2022, and over 70% of those deaths were attributable to fentanyl. Between January and May 2023, preliminary reports indicate there were 346 overdose deaths in San Francisco, a more than 40% increase from the same period in 2022, with more than 79% of those deaths attributable to fentanyl.
(d) Naloxone and other opioid antagonists are life-saving medications that are used to reverse a drug overdose. They are safe to use, work almost immediately, and are not addictive. According to peer-reviewed articles published in the journals “Drug and Alcohol Dependence” and “JAMA Internal Medicine,” state laws allowing pharmacist dispensing of naloxone have been associated with a 53% increase in naloxone dispensing, and a significant reduction in overdose deaths. The California Public Health Officer has issued a standing order to allow pharmacies, community organizations, and other approved entities to distribute prescription naloxone and allow for the administration of prescription naloxone by a family member, friend, or other person, to a person experiencing an overdose.
(e) On March 29, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it approved NARCAN®, a four milligram (mg) naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray, for over-the-counter, nonprescription use. It is the first naloxone product approved for use without a prescription.
(f) Despite the efficacy of naloxone and other opioid antagonists, and the fact that pharmacy distribution of naloxone is the second-most effective way—after community distribution—to provide naloxone to people most likely to use it and reverse an overdose, naloxone remains largely inaccessible.
(g) The Board of Supervisors hereby finds that the public interest is served by ensuring that retail pharmacies in San Francisco stock a minimum number of opioid antagonists for purchase.
(Added by Ord. 219-23, File No. 230766, App. 11/3/2023, Eff. 12/4/2023)