Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Naloxone Access topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee backs ordinance requiring retail pharmacies to stock naloxone
Summary
The committee voted to send to the full Board an ordinance requiring every retail pharmacy in San Francisco to stock at least two opioid‑antagonist doses (naloxone) and to post signage; DPH told the committee roughly 25% of retail pharmacies did not previously stock naloxone and emphasized pharmacy access complements community distribution.
Supervisor Dorsey introduced an ordinance that would require all retail pharmacies in the city to carry at least two doses/boxes of an opioid antagonist (naloxone) and to post signs about availability. Dr. Jeffrey Hom, Director of Population Behavioral Health (DPH), told the committee that DPH data showed roughly a quarter of retail pharmacies in San Francisco lacked naloxone in stock when surveyed and that pharmacy availability would complement community distribution (DPH and partners distributed more than 72,000 doses this year).
Dr. Hom urged quick action to close availability gaps and noted that over‑the‑counter approval of some naloxone nasal sprays makes broader pharmacy access timely. Committee members asked about costs, signage and public education. After one caller reiterated a prevention‑first point of view, the committee voted to send the ordinance to the full Board with a positive recommendation.
