TULSA, Okla. — An opioid overdose killed 565 Oklahomans in 2024. More than 2,700 Oklahomans have died after an overdose since 2020, according to the state’s own numbers.
“I’ve struggled with addiction for the past 20 years,” Titus Carey said.
Carey is nearly six years sober from alcohol and fentanyl. 2 News Oklahoma listened to his story after researching House Bill 2941.
Rep. Steve Bashore of Miami wrote the bill, which passed the legislature and earned Gov. Stitt’s signature.
“What I’m hoping is for the fentanyl overdoses to dramatically drop or hopefully to eliminate in the future,” Bashore said, “It brings in more individuals to oversee the actual implementation of reporting. So the main goal is to improve communication.”
The legislation requires emergency medical technicians to call law enforcement when responding to overdoses.
Carey now works for Haven Detox in Tulsa. He reflected on his experiences with overdose and the immediate response.
“Oftentimes, whenever first responders, or the police, are involved, it’s a chaotic scene anyway. Oftentimes, law enforcement can cause a little more chaos. Add to that chaos,” Carey said.
EMT’s are granted legal immunity through the bill’s language. Another provision of the bill requires officials to list fentanyl as the presumed cause of death if found in testing.
Bashore said that came at the recommendation of several district attorneys.
“You’re criminalizing someone who actually has a disease. You know? They need help. They don’t need to be incarcerated. They need resources to get help,” Carey said.
“Hopefully it will lead to: where did this drug come from? Where can we find it? Who’s supplying it? You never know. Hopefully it can, and that’s the whole goal, just to improve communication,” Bashore said.
The bill becomes law on Nov. 1, 2026.
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