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Stronger protections for addicts reporting overdoses added to House heroin bill, set for Friday floor vote
02/11/2015 03:42 PM
by Kevin Wheatley • Filed under: From Frankfort
UPDATED FRANKFORT — The House Judiciary Committee unanimously passed an amended version of the chamber’s anti-heroin legislation on Wednesday, changing the bill’s Good Samaritan provision to guarantee users will not be charged with possession of drugs or paraphernalia if they report overdoses.
Rep. John Tilley, chairman of the judiciary committee and sponsor of House Bill 213, said the bill will likely get a floor vote Friday.
The amendment came after Gary Mendell, founder of Connecticut-based Shatterproof, testified that the Good Samaritan provision originally drafted in HB 213 would deter addicts from dialing 911 because the legislation would provide a defense rather than criminal immunity. Overdose victims also would have been afforded a similar criminal defense after undergoing treatment in the original version of HB 213.
The affect of increased access to naloxone, a drug used to reverse the heroin overdoses, for first responders would be limited and save fewer lives without a more protective Good Samaritan provision, said Mendell, who launched Shatterproof after his son’s 2011 suicide after 13 months of sobriety from a drug addiction.
“It’s not a matter of my personal opinion,” he said. “It’s pretty common sense. If someone is afraid they will be charged with a crime, for example possession of paraphernalia or possession of a controlled substance, they may not make that phone call.”
A handful of representatives expressed concerns with the amended Good Samaritan provision in HB 213, which cleared the judiciary panel on a 14-4 vote with four Republicans voting against the bill’s new language. The final version of HB 213, despite those misgivings, passed unanimously.
Rep. Robert Benvenuti was among those who voted against the amendment and said lawmakers would miss an opportunity to reach addicts when they interact with emergency responders.
“I’m not sure what value we bring in allowing somebody, a Good Samaritan under this bill, to walk from the scene when we have the opportunity to wrap that person, if you will, and to bring them to treatment because it seems to me that all these folks are at high risk of death,” said Benvenuti, R-Lexington.
“… I have great difficulty supporting anything where we have encountered somebody who is involved in heroin and we’re going to let them walk with the risk that the next night they might be the victim of an overdose or they might involve themselves in a crime involving an innocent party.”
continued with more videos http://mycn2.com/politics/stronger-...aign=Feed:+Cn2Politics+(cn|2+Pure+Po litics)
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~Gary Mendell
Founder, Shatterproof
We are making progress. The comments made by Mr. Benvenuti do not make sense. First if they continue to bust people if they need to call 911 for an overdose then people will be afraid to call. The may needlessly and dangerously delay or totally prevent the call from happening. This means that more people will end up with more severe results including death. Can't force a dead person into treatment. Also everyone that is there will blaze and you won't be able to arrest them into treatment. Why don't you pass the good samaritan laws and if a OD happens hand out information about free treatment that could be paid for with the useless dollars you waste on locking addicts up.
02/11/2015 03:42 PM
by Kevin Wheatley • Filed under: From Frankfort
UPDATED FRANKFORT — The House Judiciary Committee unanimously passed an amended version of the chamber’s anti-heroin legislation on Wednesday, changing the bill’s Good Samaritan provision to guarantee users will not be charged with possession of drugs or paraphernalia if they report overdoses.
Rep. John Tilley, chairman of the judiciary committee and sponsor of House Bill 213, said the bill will likely get a floor vote Friday.
The amendment came after Gary Mendell, founder of Connecticut-based Shatterproof, testified that the Good Samaritan provision originally drafted in HB 213 would deter addicts from dialing 911 because the legislation would provide a defense rather than criminal immunity. Overdose victims also would have been afforded a similar criminal defense after undergoing treatment in the original version of HB 213.
The affect of increased access to naloxone, a drug used to reverse the heroin overdoses, for first responders would be limited and save fewer lives without a more protective Good Samaritan provision, said Mendell, who launched Shatterproof after his son’s 2011 suicide after 13 months of sobriety from a drug addiction.
“It’s not a matter of my personal opinion,” he said. “It’s pretty common sense. If someone is afraid they will be charged with a crime, for example possession of paraphernalia or possession of a controlled substance, they may not make that phone call.”
A handful of representatives expressed concerns with the amended Good Samaritan provision in HB 213, which cleared the judiciary panel on a 14-4 vote with four Republicans voting against the bill’s new language. The final version of HB 213, despite those misgivings, passed unanimously.
Rep. Robert Benvenuti was among those who voted against the amendment and said lawmakers would miss an opportunity to reach addicts when they interact with emergency responders.
“I’m not sure what value we bring in allowing somebody, a Good Samaritan under this bill, to walk from the scene when we have the opportunity to wrap that person, if you will, and to bring them to treatment because it seems to me that all these folks are at high risk of death,” said Benvenuti, R-Lexington.
“… I have great difficulty supporting anything where we have encountered somebody who is involved in heroin and we’re going to let them walk with the risk that the next night they might be the victim of an overdose or they might involve themselves in a crime involving an innocent party.”
continued with more videos http://mycn2.com/politics/stronger-...aign=Feed:+Cn2Politics+(cn|2+Pure+Po litics)
.................................................. .................................................. ......
~Gary Mendell
Founder, Shatterproof
We are making progress. The comments made by Mr. Benvenuti do not make sense. First if they continue to bust people if they need to call 911 for an overdose then people will be afraid to call. The may needlessly and dangerously delay or totally prevent the call from happening. This means that more people will end up with more severe results including death. Can't force a dead person into treatment. Also everyone that is there will blaze and you won't be able to arrest them into treatment. Why don't you pass the good samaritan laws and if a OD happens hand out information about free treatment that could be paid for with the useless dollars you waste on locking addicts up.
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