H.R. 2351 — To direct the Commandant of the Coast Guard to update the policy of the Coast Guard regarding the use of medication to treat drug overdose, and for other purposes.

This section revises the prohibition on controlled substance activities on board covered vessels (i.e., vessels subject to U.S. jurisdiction under maritime drug trafficking laws) in 46 U.S.C. §70503(a) by removing the requirement that an individual be on board the vessel when committing an offense and by expressly prohibiting any individual from manufacturing or distributing such a substance, possessing it with intent to manufacture or distribute, or placing or causing it to be placed on board a covered vessel with such intent. (Thus, the provision closes potential loopholes for off-vessel placement of drugs intended for manufacture or distribution onboard.)

This section directs the Commandant of the Coast Guard to update, within one year of enactment, the service's policy on medications to treat drug overdoses to require naloxone or similar medication for opioid (including fentanyl) overdoses to be available on all Coast Guard installations and in each operational environment (with a rule of construction deeming it available installation-wide if accessible at one facility). It further requires the Coast Guard, within one year of the earlier of enactment or establishment of the tracking system under sec. 706 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (10 U.S.C. 1090 note), to participate in that system and for the Secretary of Homeland Security (when the Coast Guard is not operating as a service in the Navy) and Secretary of Defense to finalize a memorandum of understanding facilitating such access. Finally, within two years of enactment, the Commandant must brief the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on policy implementation progress, fentanyl and other substance abuse prevalence and mitigation over the prior five years, memorandum status, and naloxone usage instances at facilities, on assets, or during operations (while ensuring Privacy Act and HIPAA compliance).