Bill > HB4655

This bill expands "Laken's Law," which is the Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Education Act, to include students in grades 3 through 12 in all West Virginia public schools, whereas it previously only covered grades 6 through 12. This law mandates annual instruction on fentanyl, heroin, and opioid awareness, prevention, and abuse, including the life-saving use of FDA-approved opioid reversal agents, prevention of addiction, and information about available state and community resources for substance use prevention. While the expanded instruction for grades 3-5 will begin in the 2026-2027 school year, the existing instruction for grades 6-12 will continue as planned for the 2024-2025 school year.