“Good Samaritan” Amendments (H 5397, S 797)

This important legislation would have provided individuals protection from prosecution for certain drug crimes if they had contacted police to address any medical emergency, not just a drug overdose. We further urged that the bill be amended to protect individuals against prosecution for delivery of drugs, in addition to possession, and to allow for individuals who have been wrongly charged or arrested to sue for damages for the harm caused by the unlawful charge or arrest. This bill would have ensured that fewer drug users would be placed in the precarious, and sometimes fatal, position of choosing between life-saving medical treatment or going to prison. However, the bill died in committee in both the House and the Senate.