Good Samaritan Overdose Prevention (H 7003, S 2002)

The General Assembly acted quickly in 2016 to restore the life-saving Good Samaritan Overdose Prevention Act, which expired in 2015 when the legislature failed to reauthorize the law. In July 2015, the law’s protection against arrest for certain drug crimes of those who call 911 in the event of an overdose disappeared, leaving people torn between saving lives and spending time in jail. In the first weeks of the 2016 session, the House and Senate approved legislation not only restoring those protections but expanding them. The new law ensures that individuals on probation or parole cannot be considered to have violated their probation or parole if they call for help in the case of an overdose. Governor Raimondo signed the legislation into law on January 27th, restoring the state’s commitment to saving lives instead of prosecuting drug-dependent individuals.