High school students allowed to possess and administer opiate antagonists.
Summary
HF3349 amends Minnesota’s school health statute to address opioid overdose response in high schools. Under current law, school districts or charter schools may allow students in grades 9 through 12 to possess and administer an opiate antagonist to another high school student. This bill changes that permissive language to mandatory language, requiring school districts and charter schools to allow such possession and administration.
The bill is narrowly focused on student access to opioid overdose reversal medication, such as naloxone, in the school setting. It applies only to high school students and only to the possession and administration of an opiate antagonist to another high school student. The bill also preserves the legal protections in Minnesota Statutes section 604A.04 for those acting under this authority.
Impact
The bill would amend Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 121A.224, subdivision 2, by replacing discretionary authority with a requirement that school districts and charter schools permit grades 9 through 12 students to possess and administer opiate antagonists. This would expand the statutory obligation on schools and likely increase student access to overdose-reversal medication in emergency situations, while continuing to rely on existing liability protections under section 604A.04.
Sentiment
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of legislative debate or vote-based sentiment. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears to be a public-health and school-safety proposal intended to improve overdose response capacity in schools, with an emphasis on student preparedness and emergency intervention.
Contention
The main policy change is the shift from “may allow” to “must allow,” which could be a point of contention for school districts or charter schools concerned about implementation, training, supervision, or liability. Supporters would likely emphasize student safety, rapid overdose response, and access to naloxone or similar opiate antagonists, while any opposition would likely focus on local control, administrative burden, or concerns about students administering medication to peers.
Commissioner of corrections maintenance of a supply of opiate antagonists to administer to persons who overdose in correctional facilities requirement; administration of opiate antagonist training to employees requirement
Commissioner of corrections required to maintain a supply of opiate antagonists to administer to persons who overdose in correctional facilities, and commissioner required to provide training to employees on how to administer opiate antagonists.
Authorizes high schools to include opioid overdose prevention and non-intravenous opioid antagonist administration as optional part of required health education courses; authorizes certain students to administer non-intravenous opioid antagonists.
Authorizes high schools to include opioid overdose prevention and non-intravenous opioid antagonist administration as optional part of required health education courses; authorizes certain students to administer non-intravenous opioid antagonists.