A drug for fighting opioid addiction should soon be more easily available in North Dakota.
KXMB says Governor Burgum signed an executive order this week aimed at making naloxone more readily available, to not just first responders, but community leaders, individual drug users and their families.

KX also reports the state has secured $200,000 in federal funding to purchase naloxone. Two doses of naloxone cost $150.

Naloxone, sold under the brandname Narcan among others, is described in Wikipedia as "a medication used to block the effects of opioids, especially in overdose."

The drug is most commonly administered intravenously, though it can also be taken via intramuscular injection, or nasal spray.

KX says the order also requires "education and training for professional staff on how to identify and respond to an opioid overdose."

Laws in many states have been changed in recent years to allow wider distribution of the medication. In Canada, naloxone is available over the counter.

The governor and his wife are outspoken advocates of enhancing treatment for drug and alcohol abuse.

[Source: KXMB, Wikipedia]

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