LICADD Leads Efforts to Pass 911 Good Samaritan Law
The Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD) supports and encourages passage of legislation (A.08147A/S.05191A) sponsored by NYS Senator Tom Duane (D-Manhattan) and NYS Assemblyman Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan) otherwise known as the “911 Good Samaritan Bill.”
This measure will provide limited immunity from prosecution for possession of small amounts of drugs or alcohol for those who call for medical assistance for themselves or someone else in the event of an overdose. Overdose deaths generally don’t happen spontaneously, and instead occur 1-3 hours after ingestion or injection of drugs. Young people, afraid to call the police because they are impaired or have drugs or alcohol in their possession, often delay seeking help and try ineffective and dangerous methods to revive the overdose victim. Many witnesses flee, and without competent and timely medical care, the patient dies.
Long Island is home to about 400 reported overdose deaths annually – more than 1 per day. Fatal overdoses in both Nassau and Suffolk have increased in the last five years, reflecting national trends. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of fatal opioid overdoses nationally tripled between 1999 and 2006, rising from 4,000 to 13,800 deaths annually. Emergency room visits related to the nonmedical use of opioids increased 111% during 2004-2008 and increased 29% during 2007-2008. Emergency room visits related to the nonmedical use of benzodiazepines increased 89% during 2004-2008 and increased 24% during 2007-2008.
Most overdose deaths are preventable and states are increasingly taking action to promote prompt calls for help. New Mexico, for example, passed 911 Good Samaritan legislation in 2007, while Washington State enacted the second such law that took effect two weeks ago, passing by large margins in both the Senate and House. Other states currently considering 911 Good Samaritan legislation include: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.
More than 100 US colleges and universities have enacted written “911 Good Samaritan” or “medical amnesty” policies. A 2006 study in the International Journal of Drug Policy found that emergency calls doubled after Cornell University’s Good Samaritan Policy was enacted in 2002, although alcohol abuse rates have remained relatively constant.
LICADD believes that criminal penalties serve a useful purpose in anti-drug efforts, yet we also believe that the preservation of life is of paramount concern, particularly when it comes to low-level drug and alcohol offenses. Every minute a witness spends worrying about judicial consequences is another minute it will take for help to arrive. That minute can mean very literally the difference between life and death.
LICADD joins the U.S. Conference of Mayors, New York Academy of Medicine and a variety of other organizations in urging the immediate passage of A8147A/S5191.
News 12 coverage of our press conference is linked here.
News 12′s Andrew Ehinger blogs about the proposed law here.
