AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission announced Wednesday it had created a new training course to help alcohol retailers both recognize signs of an opioid overdose and learn how to apply life-saving measures to those overdosing.
Senate Bill 998, authored by state Sen. Royce West and passed in the 88th Texas Legislature, went into law on Sept. 1. The newly-minted law requires "certain Mixed Beverage and Private Club permit holders, and certain members of their staff, to complete an opioid overdose training course provided by TABC" annually, the release said.
“Not a week passes without hearing of another opioid-related death. The course developed by TABC following the passage of SB 998 will instruct those who work in venues where alcohol is sold on how to identify a person in the stages of an opioid overdose and train them to administer an opioid antagonist,” West said in the release. “SB 998 creates a safety net in this fight against the fentanyl and opioid-related deaths that continue to devastate our communities. SB 998 and the resultant training will help save lives.”
Data gathered by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported over 150 Americans die nationwide each day from opioid-related overdoses. Those overdoses include illegally produced opioids, including heroin and fentanyl, the release added.
“Texas continues to lead the fight against the fentanyl crisis that is plaguing our state and our nation,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in the release. “With this new Opioid-Related Drug Overdose training course, we will help ensure alcohol retailers and their staff know how to keep their customers safe from fentanyl and other opioid poisonings. I thank the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for their ongoing efforts in our comprehensive statewide ‘One Pill Kills’ campaign. Their hard work, and the new laws I signed this year, will help save the lives of Texans each and every day.”
Under the newly launched course, bar owners, managers and their staff will undergo an overview of opioid overdoses, including symptoms to watch for along with the administration of overdose reversal medication, naloxone.
The TABC course is free to access online.
