Beginning this upcoming school year, all school districts in Minnesota will be required to have a supply of overdose medication on hand at campuses districtwide.
The new requirement comes as the number of deadly overdoses among teens in Minnesota is on the rise. Last year along, overdose deaths among young Minnesotans rose by 49%.
In response, Minnesota lawmakers passed a bill in the 2023 legislative session that mandates schools to carry two doses of nasal naloxone in school buildings districtwide.
Naloxone, also commonly known as Narcan, works by reversing the effects of opiods to stop an overdose.
The new policy aims to work as a safety net in response to the increasing amount of overdoses in young people in Minnesota and the nation.