South Carolina Puts Naloxone on Public Campuses

Students and faculty at public colleges and universities will be able to access the overdose-reversal medication and receive training next year.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Substance Abuse

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a single white nasal-spray dispenser with a red tip before simplified slate-blue brick building blocks, on a cream field. — South Carolina lawmakers passed a law requiring naloxone, the overdose-reversal medication, at all public colleges and universities, with student and faculty training starting next year. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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South Carolina has passed a law that makes naloxone, the overdose-reversal medication, available at all public colleges and universities in the state. The law also requires education for students and faculty on how to use naloxone and recognize an overdose; it takes effect next year.

Why it matters

For students at South Carolina's public campuses, the law puts an opioid overdose reversal tool and basic training within reach where young adults gather and drink or use substances. The bill was written by State Sen. Tedder after advocate Chelby Drafts brought the campus idea to him, reflecting a push to treat college students' safety as a prevention priority.

The source describes a state law and a bill's passage but does not report a study design, sample size, or measured outcomes. Its claims rest on the legislative action and the advocate's account of why it matters.

The players

Chelby Drafts

An advocate from rural Gilbert, South Carolina, who proposed the campus naloxone idea and creates prevention-focused school presentations.

Frank Clark, MD

An outpatient psychiatrist at Prisma Health-Upstate who is referenced in the source's coverage of substance use care.

The details

The law makes naloxone available at all public colleges and universities in South Carolina and requires that students and faculty be educated on how to use it and how to recognize an overdose. Naloxone is a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose when administered promptly, and the education component is meant to ensure people nearby can respond. The idea originated with advocate Chelby Drafts, who brought it to State Sen. Tedder, who wrote the bill that passed.

The South Carolina campus naloxone law takes effect next year.
Chelby Drafts plans to serve as a page at the South Carolina State House in August.

Health Landscape

Naloxone access has been expanding through state policy as a frontline tool against opioid overdose deaths. Extending it to public college campuses adds a setting where a younger population's substance-use risks are concentrated.

If you are a student or faculty member at a South Carolina public college, you may encounter naloxone on campus and receive training to recognize an opioid overdose. Anyone who may be around people using opioids is worth discussing naloxone and overdose response with their physician or pharmacist.

The takeaway

Campus naloxone access turns overdose response into something students and staff can be trained to do. Ask your campus health center or physician what naloxone access and overdose-recognition training is available to you.