South Carolina Requires Naloxone on Campuses
A new state law makes the overdose-reversal drug available at all public colleges and universities, with students and faculty trained to recognize overdoses.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Substance Abuse
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South Carolina has passed a law making naloxone available at all public colleges and universities in the state. The law requires education for students and faculty on how to use naloxone and recognize an overdose.
Why it matters
The measure places an overdose-reversal tool on campuses where young adults are still forming their habits and identities. Advocates say it is meant to keep students from being harmed by an overdose they could have prevented.
The law applies to every public college and university in South Carolina and takes effect next year. The extraction does not provide overdose statistics or funding figures for the program.
The players
Chelby Drafts
A South Carolina advocate from rural Gilbert who created the prevention-focused school presentation 'You Hold the Pen' and brought the campus naloxone idea to state lawmakers.
State Sen. Tedder
A South Carolina state senator who wrote the bill that made naloxone available on public campuses.
Frank Clark, MD
An outpatient psychiatrist at Prisma Health-Upstate who is a physician in the Upstate region of South Carolina.
The details
State Sen. Tedder wrote the bill, which passed and takes effect next year. Chelby Drafts, a Gilbert, South Carolina native and the first in her biological mother's family to attend college, brought the campus naloxone idea to the senator. Her biological mother has a substance use disorder, which shaped her advocacy.
Timeline
Next year: the South Carolina campus naloxone law takes effect.
August: Drafts plans to serve as a page at the South Carolina State House.
Health Landscape
The South Carolina measure extends naloxone access laws, which have spread through states as a way to reverse opioid overdoses, into public higher education. Its supporters hope it becomes a model for other states, which Drafts has said she wants to pursue nationally.
Students at public South Carolina colleges and universities will gain access to naloxone and training on recognizing an overdose once the law takes effect. Students and faculty will be educated on how to use the drug, which can help someone in an overdose get the help they need.
The takeaway
Campus naloxone access puts a life-saving tool where young adults live and study. Knowing how to recognize an overdose and respond is a practical step anyone can take.
What happens next
The South Carolina campus naloxone law takes effect next year, and Drafts plans to serve as a page at the State House in August.
Further reading
For related coverage, see Substance Abuse reporting across the site.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Psychiatrictimes.
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