Renewals for Manufacturer and Wholesaler licenses are now open. The Board of Pharmacy requests your patience with delayed responses between 4/1/25 – 5/31/25.
If organizations encounter uploading issues or errors with their renewal, please email us with “ALIMS Issue” in the subject line and send with high priority.
The Minnesota Legislature enacted "Steve's Law" during the 2014 legislative session. This law allows for more widespread distribution and administration of naloxone in hopes that deaths related to opiate overdoses can be prevented. The language of the law can be found here. The following are answers to questions that the Board has received about this law.
Yes. The relevant language that was enacted earlier this year is:
Subd. 2. Authority to possess and administer opiate antagonists; release from liability.
(a) A person who is not a health care professional may possess or administer an opiate antagonist that is prescribed, dispensed, or distributed by a licensed health care professional pursuant to subdivision 3.
(b) A person who is not a health care professional who acts in good faith in administering an opiate antagonist to another person whom the person believes in good faith to be suffering a drug overdose is immune from criminal prosecution for the act and is not liable for any civil damages for acts or omissions resulting from the act.
Subd. 3. Health care professionals; release from liability.
A licensed health care professional who is permitted by law to prescribe an opiate antagonist, if acting in good faith, may directly or by standing order prescribe, dispense, distribute, or administer an opiate antagonist to a person without being subject to civil liability or criminal prosecution for the act. This immunity applies even when the opiate antagonist is eventually administered in either or both of the following instances: (1) by someone other than the person to whom it is prescribed; or (2) to someone other than the person to whom it is prescribed.
The language in subd. 3 clearly indicates that naloxone may be prescribed for one person but administered to another.
Yes but not on their own authority. They need to be working with a physician, advanced practice registered nurse or physician assistant. The relevant language that was passed earlier this year is:
Subd. 12. Administration of opiate antagonists for drug overdose.
(a) A licensed physician, a licensed advanced practice registered nurse authorized to prescribe drugs pursuant to section 148.235, or a licensed physician's assistant authorized to prescribe drugs pursuant to section 147A.18, may authorize the following individuals to administer opiate antagonists, as defined in section 604A.04, subdivision 1:
(1) an emergency medical responder registered pursuant to section 144E.27;
(2) a peace officer as defined in section 626.84, subdivision 1, paragraphs (c) and (d); and
(3) staff of community-based health disease prevention or social service programs.
(b) For the purposes of this subdivision, opiate antagonists may be administered by one of these individuals only if:
(1) the licensed physician, licensed physician's assistant, or licensed advanced practice registered nurse has issued a standing order to, or entered into a protocol with, the individual; and
(2) the individual has training in the recognition of signs of opiate overdose and the use of opiate antagonists as part of the emergency response to opiate overdose
So, in order to obtain, possess and administer naloxone, law enforcement (peace) officers and emergency medical responders need to be authorized to do so by a physician, APRN or PA. A standing order or protocol needs to be in place and the peace officer or EMR needs to have had training. Most likely the MD, PA or APRN will obtain the naloxone and provide to the peace officer or EMR. However, a pharmacy may distribute Naloxone to a peace officer or EMR under a standing order from an MD, PA or APRN.
Pharmacists can independently prescribe opioid antagonists by using the protocol found on our website here.
Pharmacists can also prescribe opioid antagonists by entering into a protocol developed by the Board - for use by the Minnesota Department of Health. The MDH protocol and additional information can be found MDH website.
The Good Samaritan provision of the legislation is silent on this question. It defines opiate antagonist as naloxone hydrochloride or any similarly acting drug approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of a drug overdose. This was not meant to include only FDA approved formulations of naloxone and similar drugs.
The University of Minnesota is offering a presentation on Naloxone.
"This presentation is provided for pharmacists and providers who wish to learn more about factors that increase an individuals' risk of opioid overdose, identify signs and symptoms of opioid overdose, and understand the pros and cons of different naloxone formulations. The presentation will review resources patients may use to access naloxone, describe legal considerations for prescribing and dispensing of naloxone in Minnesota, and discuss available naloxone and opioid resources for healthcare providers and patients."
Yes, a Joint Statement on Opioid Prescribing, approved by the Boards of Medical Practice, Nursing and Pharmacy, can be found here. The Opioid Antagonist Protocol can be found here.
