California2026Enacted

AB-1037

Public Health Law Changes for Substance Use and Overdose Response

Last scannedAug 24, 2026, 7:05 AM

In one sentence

This law removes training requirements for people holding or giving overdose-reversing medicine, protects them from lawsuits if they act in good faith, changes rules so treatment centers cannot require sobriety before admission, updates how prevention programs are defined, and creates a combined application process for certain recovery facilities.

Removes the rule requiring people who receive or hold opioid antagonists to get training before they can have them.
Allows anyone helping a person at risk of any overdose (not just opioids) to keep an opioid antagonist and give it to others in need without prior training.
Protects from civil lawsuits those who use good faith when giving an opioid antagonist, even if they did not receive training.
Requires the state health department to offer one combined application for facilities that want a license for recovery services and incidental medical care by January 1, 2027.
Prohibits treatment centers from requiring people to be sober or abstinent as a condition for admission or continuing their stay.
Redefines state-funded programs to focus on assisting substance use disorders instead of reducing unlawful drug use through enforcement.

People who are at risk of an overdose and those in a position to help them, such as family members or friends.
Licensed health care providers who issue standing orders for opioid antagonists.
Facilities that provide residential recovery services and incidental medical care for adults with substance use issues.
Organizations receiving state funds for drug- or alcohol-related programs.

The law does not specify an effective date in the provided text.
The bill states that prevention programs should align with evidence-based best practices but does not list specific examples of those activities.
While the law changes how facilities handle relapse, it requires prioritizing connection to treatment but does not detail every step a facility must take.

Plain language

Opioid antagonist: A medicine that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, such as naloxone.
Standing order: A general prescription from a doctor that allows others to distribute medicine without writing a new note for each person.
Incidental medical services: Limited medical care provided by doctors or nurses at a recovery facility, separate from the main nonmedical treatment.

Official record

Source attached

Public health: substance use disorder.

Official activity