--- description: Heroin-related fatalities have surged in recent years title: Ohio Steps Up Fight Against Heroin Deaths image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb59cffede18f88f6/698778990b72e33ff46dcfe5/health-syringe-needle-1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Ohio Steps Up Fight Against Heroin Deaths by [Josh Sanburn](/author/josh-sanburn/) ## Josh Sanburn Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 26, 2015 4:17 PM CUT  Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME by [Josh Sanburn](/author/josh-sanburn/) ## Josh Sanburn Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 26, 2015 4:17 PM CUT Ohio lawmakers are looking to expand access to a drug that helps revive heroin overdose victims, as the state attorney general attempts to reduce its cost. An Ohio House committee [approved a bill Wednesday](http://www.sanduskyregister.com/news/state/7694976 "undefined") that would allow any individual—not just emergency responders—to provide heroin overdose antidote Naloxone to friends and family members without a prescription and/or fear of prosecution. **MORE:** [Heroin Deaths Have Doubled in 2 Years](http://time.com/3460809/heroin-death-overdose/ "undefined") The bill expands a law passed last year that provided increased access to the drug and allowed police and emergency responders to carry it. The latest bill, approved by the House Health and Aging Committee, would also allow pharmacies to hand out the drug without prescriptions. Naloxone has been shown to temporarily revive overdose victims, allowing them to breathe and giving paramedics time to save their lives. Heroin overdoses have grown into a public health crisis in Ohio within the last few years. According to [the Ohio Department of Health](http://www.healthy.ohio.gov/~/media/HealthyOhio/ASSETS/Files/injury%20prevention/2012%20overdose%20data/1finalCB%5F2012%5FBullets%20for%20reporters%20on%20drug%20related%20poisoning.ashx "undefined"), heroin-related deaths have increased from 16% of all drug-involved deaths throughout the state in 2008 to 35% in 2012, when 680 people died from a heroin overdose. **MORE:** [Holder Urges Use of Drug to Fight Heroin Overdoses](http://time.com/17990/eric-holder-naloxone-heroin-overdose/ "undefined") As heroin-related deaths have increased, the price of Naloxone has gone up as well. According to the [Dayton _Daily News_](http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/business/ohio-ag-and-naloxone-producer-in-talks/nkJ7B/ "undefined"), Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is currently negotiating with Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc., to decrease the cost by getting a price rebate for the drug. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3723805/naloxone-heroin-overdose-drug-ohio/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3723805/naloxone-heroin-overdose-drug-ohio/"},"headline":"Ohio Steps Up Fight Against Heroin Deaths","datePublished":"2015-02-26T16:17:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T04:44:40.701Z","description":"Heroin-related fatalities have surged in recent years","url":"https://time.com/3723805/naloxone-heroin-overdose-drug-ohio/","keywords":["Crime","Drugs","Heroin","Naloxone","Ohio","health"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb59cffede18f88f6/698778990b72e33ff46dcfe5/health-syringe-needle-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Josh Sanburn","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/josh-sanburn/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb59cffede18f88f6/698778990b72e33ff46dcfe5/health-syringe-needle-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"TIME.com stock photos Health Syringe Needle","caption":"TIME.com stock photos Health Syringe Needle","creditText":"Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3723805/naloxone-heroin-overdose-drug-ohio/","name":"Ohio Steps Up Fight Against Heroin Deaths"}}]}] ```