Added by Stats. 2024, Ch. 684, Sec. 1. (AB 1859) Effective January 1, 2025.
(a)A coroner may test the bodily fluid extracted during the autopsy of a deceased person to determine if any amount, including a trace amount, of xylazine was present at the time of the person’s death in either of the following circumstances:
(1)The coroner reasonably suspects that the cause of the person’s death was an accidental or intentional overdose of an opioid.
(2)The person was administered an overdose intervention drug prior to death and was unresponsive to the overdose intervention drug.
(b)If the coroner conducts a test pursuant to
subdivision (a), the coroner shall report a positive result indicating the presence of xylazine to the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program managed by the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program and provide the State Department of Public Health with a quarterly report on positive results that includes the total number of tests performed and the State File Number from the death certificate of each positive case.
(c)The department shall post the following information on the California Overdose Surveillance Dashboard located on the department’s internet website:
(1)The total number of xylazine-positive results reported to the department.
(2)The number of xylazine-positive results by county.
(3)The number of xylazine-positive overdose deaths, per 100,000 population.
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