State Rep Nguyen's Bill to Reinstate Drug Overdose Review Team Becomes Law

4/21/23

A bill sponsored by Prescott area State Representative Quang Nguyen to reinstate the Drug Overdose Fatality Review Team has been signed into law by Governor Katie Hobbs. The review team was established in 2016 within the Arizona Department of Health Services to develop a drug overdose fatalities data collection system. By law, the review team’s authorization expired on January 1st of this year. Representative Nguyen’s bill immediately reinstates the review team and its powers and duties until 2029. Nguyen says, “Entities such as MATFORCE in Yavapai County and the state legislature depend on information from the review team to identify and implement recommendations to prevent overdoses. And it is working. It’s been reported that overdose deaths in Yavapai County last year decreased."