Latest: Gov. Walker signs heroin antidote distribution bill



GREEN BAY — Gov. Scott Walker has signed a bill designed to make a heroin overdose antidote more readily available.

Under current law, doctors can give health centers, pharmacies and clinics general permission to dispense Narcan without specific prescriptions. But Attorney General Brad Schimel has raised concerns that those provisions don't trump other statutes requiring prescriptions to include a recipient's name.



Republican Rep. John Nygren's bill clarifies that pharmacies can hand out Narcan under a doctor's standing order.

"This would allow for a standing order through a pharmacy to be able to dispense Narcan after proper training to people who might actually be at risk, whether it be a family member or someone you know. This would allow you to have that to carry and administer to save a life," Rep. Nygren (R-Marinette) said.

Walker signed the bill Tuesday morning at Aurora BayCare Medical Center in Green Bay.

Those looking to purchase Narcan without a prescription should note that they might not get it right away.

A CVS spokesman says CVS would order it for the customer, who should get it by the next day.