Unintentional drug overdose is now considered to be a leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Administering naloxone hydrochloride (naloxone) can reverse an opioid overdose and prevent these unintentional deaths.

Each state makes its own law about who can prescribe drugs and what the standards and processes are for prescriptions. Legal issues are raised when prescribing a drug to someone who will administer it to a third party instead of themselves. Prescription law usually requires the patient to have a personal need for the drug, and in some places, it may be considered practicing medicine without a license if a layperson administers a prescription drug.

Please note, this dataset is now maintained by Legal Science, LLC, on the Prescription Drug Abuse Policy System at PDAPS.org. It was originally created by the staff at the Center for Public Health Law Research.