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Opiate Overdose Antidote Advances Over Governor's Objections

Governor LePage appears largely alone in opposing legislation to expanded the availabiliy of Narcan.  Narcan, or naloxone, is a drug that can revive people who've overdosed on opiates.  Democratic State Rep Sara Gideon of Freeport says it must be given within one-to-three hours of an overdose.   If it is, Gideon says the drug can combat the effects of the opitate in a person's bloodstream.  The governor initially opposed expanded availability, then relented and supported allowing one family member  access to the drug.    The Maine House Monday unanimously passed a bill making Narcan much more widely available to family members and first responders.
The measure now moves to the Senate.