Ohio Governor John Kasich signed a bill and emergency executive order Thursday permitting easier access to a drug that reverses opioid overdose effects.

The bill, Amended Sub. House Bill 4, modifies existing laws regarding the dispersion of naloxone for opioid overdoses and establishes treatment program standards.

Licensed pharmacists may now dispense naloxone without a prescription when authorized by local Board of Health and following rules set by the Ohio Board of Pharmacy.

According to the CDC, naloxone, a prescription drug that can reverse the effects of prescription opioid and heroin overdoses, can be life-saving if administered in time.

Kasich also signed an executive order which immediately adopted the new naloxone protocol.  

Opioids, like prescription pain relievers and heroin, are the leading factor behind unintentional drug overdoses.  According to the Ohio Department of Health, nearly 75% of Ohio drug overdoses in 2013 involved opioids.

Gov. Kasich calls naloxone, "a safe and cost-effective measure to reduce overdose deaths when provided to opioid users, or their families, friends, or others in a position to assist an individual at risk."

Regardless of the drug's safety, nurses instruct individuals receiving the naloxone supply to call emergency services as soon as possible immediately before or after administering the drug.

More information on the law can be found by viewing the bill and the executive order.