An Act to Expand Access and Reduce Barriers to Access to
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 0710
Sponsors: ZAGER
Amends: 22 MRSA §2353

Legislative Document
No. 710
H.P. 449
House of Representatives, February 25, 2025
An Act to Expand Access and Reduce Barriers to Access to 
Naloxone Hydrochloride and Other Opioid Overdose-reversing 
Medications
Submitted by the Department of Health and Human Services pursuant to Joint Rule 204.
Received by the Clerk of the House on February 20, 2025.  Referred to the Committee on 
Health and Human Services pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint 
Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative ZAGER of Portland.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  22 MRSA §2353, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2023, c. 71, §1 and c. 161, §3, 
is further amended to read:
4.  Community-based drug overdose prevention programs; standing orders for 
naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid overdose-reversing medication.  Acting 
under standing orders from a licensed health care professional authorized by law to 
prescribe naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid overdose-reversing medication, a 
public health an agency that provides services to populations at high risk for a drug 
overdose may establish an overdose prevention program in accordance with rules adopted 
by the department and the provisions of this subsection.
A.  Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, an overdose prevention 
program established under this subsection may store and dispense naloxone 
hydrochloride or another opioid overdose-reversing medication without being subject 
to the provisions of Title 32, chapter 117 as long as these activities are undertaken 
without charge or compensation.
B.  An overdose prevention program established under this subsection may distribute 
unit-of-use packages of naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid overdose-reversing 
medication and the medical supplies necessary to administer the naloxone 
hydrochloride or another opioid overdose-reversing medication to a person who has 
successfully completed training provided by the overdose prevention program that 
meets the protocols and criteria established by the department, so that the person may 
possess and administer naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid overdose-reversing 
medication to an individual who appears to be experiencing an opioid-related drug 
overdose.
C.  With the express consent of a municipality, an overdose prevention program 
established under this subsection may provide and maintain naloxone hydrochloride or 
another opioid overdose-reversing medication in a wall-mounted box or other visible 
and accessible container, including, but not limited to, a vending machine, on publicly 
accessible property of the municipality, including a municipal building, public 
restroom, public library or public park or recreational facility, for use by a member of 
the public in response to an opioid-related drug overdose.
The department shall adopt rules to implement this subsection.  Rules adopted pursuant to 
this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 
2‑A.
Sec. 2.  22 MRSA §2353, sub-§4-A, ¶B, as amended by PL 2023, c. 161, §3, is 
repealed.
Sec. 3.  22 MRSA §2353, sub-§4-A, ¶C, as amended by PL 2023, c. 161, §3, is 
further amended to read:
C.  A licensed health care professional authorized by law to prescribe naloxone 
hydrochloride or another opioid overdose-reversing medication shall distribute unit-
of-use packages of naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid overdose-reversing 
medication and any medical supplies necessary to administer the naloxone 
hydrochloride or another opioid overdose-reversing medication to a recovery residence 
that has provided training described in paragraph B so that the recovery residence may 
possess and administer naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid overdose-reversing 
medication to an individual who appears to be experiencing a drug-related overdose.
Sec. 4.  22 MRSA §2353, sub-§5, ¶C, as enacted by PL 2023, c. 71, §2, is amended 
to read:
C.  A municipality or overdose prevention program is immune from criminal and civil 
liability for providing or maintaining naloxone hydrochloride containers or containers 
of another opioid overdose-reversing medication under subsection 4, paragraph C.
Sec. 5.  22 MRSA §2353, sub-§5, ¶D, as enacted by PL 2023, c. 154, §2, is 
amended to read:
D.  A person not described in this section as being authorized to possess, obtain, store, 
administer or dispense naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid overdose-reversing 
medication or a person, notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, acting in 
good faith and with reasonable care, is immune from criminal and civil liability and is 
not subject to professional or other disciplinary action for providing to another person 
naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid overdose-reversing medication, or for 
administering naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid overdose-reversing 
medication to an individual whom the person believes in good faith is experiencing an 
opioid-related drug overdose or for any outcome resulting from such actions.
SUMMARY
This bill amends the laws governing the requirements for access to and distribution of 
naloxone hydrochloride or other opioid overdose-reversing medications. The bill removes 
training requirements for community-based drug overdose prevention programs and 
recovery residences and expands access by allowing municipalities to provide vending 
machines for use by the public in response to an opioid-related drug overdose. The bill 
further provides additional immunity protections for all persons who may administer 
naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid overdose-reversing medication to another 
individual in good faith when they believe the other individual is experiencing an opioid-
related drug overdose. Lastly, the bill incorporates other opioid overdose-reversing 
medications in the provisions governing naloxone hydrochloride.