HELENA — Gov. Steve Bullock has signed a bill that would widen the availability of naloxone, a drug that counteracts the effects of a heroin overdose.
The bill sponsored by Republican Rep. Frank Garner of Kalispell would bar prosecution of anyone who prescribes and uses the drug on a person overdosing on heroin and other opioids. Evidence obtained during medical treatment of an overdose could not be used to bring drug charges.
The bill was one of 36 bills signed into law by the governor on Wednesday.
Federal health officials say opioid-related overdoses are on the rise across the nation, with the number of heroin deaths tripling since 2010. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said drugs from Mexico are fueling the heroin epidemic.