By the end of the year, Walgreens pharmacies across the state will have naloxone available for all who say they need it, regardless of whether they have a prescription.

The announcement, put out by Walgreens in a Tuesday morning news release, comes about seven months after state lawmakers passed legislation to allow pharmacists — after they receive training and certification through the Department of Consumer Protection — to prescribe the life-saving drug to residents, first responders and the treatment community.

According to Emily Hartwig, a Walgreens spokeswoman, Walgreens pharmacies in Connecticut currently require customers to have a prescription to get naloxone, also known as Narcan, despite the legislation passed in June 2015.

She said the no-prescription-needed model, slated to take effect in Washington, D.C., and 35 states total, will be rolled out on a state-by-state basis throughout the year.

In addition to that, Walgreens announced that it's planning to place safe medication disposal kiosks, where people can drop old and unwanted drugs, in 500 locations spanning 39 states.

Hartwig did not yet know which locations in Connecticut would receive the kiosks or when, but said the locations are being strategically selected so that they are within reach of people in urban, suburban and rural communities.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal Tuesday commended Walgreens for introducing two programs aimed at curbing prescription drug and opiate abuse.

"This bold leadership will help save lives," Blumenthal said, noting that he's heard many stories in which addiction "began in the medicine cabinet of a parent or friend."

"These pills are too dangerous, too tempting and too addictive to remain on bathroom shelves, and I applaud Walgreens for offering a simple way for people to safely discard excess prescription medication," Blumenthal said. "I have also heard from people across Connecticut the stories of numerous lives saved by naloxone, and I applaud Walgreens for helping to make this life-saving antidote more widely available."

l.boyle@theday.com

Twitter: @LindsayABoyle