On Naloxone Awareness Day, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig Continues Push to Make Overdose Reversal Drug More Accessible

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, on Naloxone Awareness Day, U.S. Representative Angie Craig is continuing a push to make over the counter (OTC) naloxone more accessible and affordable. Naloxone (commonly referred to by its brand name, Narcan) is a medicine used to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses.

In a letter, Rep. Craig urged the Government Accountability Office to do more to ensure naloxone is widely accessible and help address unnecessary barriers to overdose prevention tools.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were approximately 1,000 opioid overdose deaths in Minnesota in 2023.

“The fentanyl crisis continues to devastate families in Minnesota and across our country. I’m doing everything in my power to ensure the necessary overdose recovery tools & resources are accessible to the folks that need them,” said Rep. Craig.

Rep. Craig has been a bipartisan leader in Congress in the fight to combat the fentanyl crisis, expand resources for law enforcement and improve substance use disorder support. Last year, she successfully urged the FDA to fully approve OTC distribution of Narcan.

Last December, Rep. Craig’s bipartisan RECONNECTIONS Actpassed the House to direct the CDC to expand their overdose prevention efforts. This year, President Biden signed Rep. Craig’s bipartisan, bicameral END FENTANYL Act into law to help stop the smuggling of illicit fentanyl through U.S. ports of entry.

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