House panel advances bill to add opioid-overdose education, allow naloxone funding pathways for high schools

House Bill 1293, sponsored by Representative Dena Jackson, took a step forward in the Colorado House Education Committee after supporters said the measure would expand students’ ability to prevent and respond to opioid overdoses and opponents warned it could let pharmaceutical money influence school supplies.

Jackson framed the bill as a 2‑pronged approach: "First, through education and prevention. . . . Second, access to life‑saving medication," she told the committee, saying the State Board of Education would be required to integrate evidence‑based overdose prevention into high‑school health standards and that the board could seek public or private funding for opioid antagonists such as naloxone.

Why it matters: Supporters said opioids, particularly fentanyl, are appearing in the teen drug supply and that students and bystanders need consistent, evidence‑based information and access to reversal medication. Opponents, including providers who…