HONOLULU — The Honolulu City Council passed a bill Wednesday that would make Honolulu the first city in the United States to require that bars, nightclubs and other high-risk venues keep doses of naloxone nasal spray Narcan on-site.
Bill 28, proposed by Councilman Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, comes just four-months after the Federal Drug Administration granted over-the-counter approval to Narcan, the opioid-reversal medication.
“The opioid crisis is real,” Dos Santos-Tam said in a statement. “Just a month ago, two people died in a mass (fentanyl) overdose in Waikiki. That’s two families that lost a child, a sibling or an uncle. Three more were sent to the hospital. We can’t keep letting this happen.
“This bill takes action. It puts a life-saving medication in the places that need it. It will prevent more tragedies, like what happened in Waikiki, from happening again.”
Like much of the country, Honolulu has experienced a concerning increase in opioid overdoses in recent years.
From August 2017 to August 2018, the state Department of Health reported 59 opioid-overdose deaths in the state. In 2020, that number increased to 274, a nearly 500% increase.
The problem gets worse when opioids are mixed with alcohol.
Both substances are “respiratory depressants.” When mixed, they can lead to impaired motor control, respiratory arrest, or fatal overdose, among other things.
According to some business owners and public health experts, this has put liquor-serving establishments at high-risk of an overdose on their premises.
“Overdoses happen, especially when mixed with alcohol,” said Robbie Baldwin, owner of Scarlet Honolulu, a Chinatown nightclub, who supports the bill. “Our bars and nightclubs must be prepared for every contingency. I am grateful that the City Council is taking on this important issue. This bill will protect businesses, patrons and the public at large.”
To assist affected businesses in acquiring naloxone, the Honolulu Liquor Commission has agreed to provide free “starter doses” for all liquor-licensees. There are plans to use portions of the nearly $1.4 million in opioid settlement funds for replacement doses.
“We are witnessing an alarming increase in the use of fentanyl which has infiltrated into our communities,” said Jim Ireland, director of the Honolulu Emergency Services Department. “Our neighbors and friends who should still be here, are no longer with us.
“We believe this bill will save lives.”
Bill 28 has passed final reading by the council and will be sent to the Honolulu mayor for signature. The mayor has until July 22 to sign the bill into law.
