U.S. - These Drug Users Don't Want Their Dealer Prosecuted if They OD

S.J.B.

S.J.B.

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These Drug Users Don't Want Their Dealer Prosecuted if They OD
Maia Szalavitz
Vice
August 20th, 2018

On or before August 31, dozens of Americans are expected to sign a document intended to be part of their last will and testament. Like most of us, they don't want to die any time soon. However, because they have a history of opioid misuse--past or present--they face a real risk of overdose. And they don't want anyone to be charged with murder for providing their drugs, should they accidentally meet this fate.

Unfortunately, as overdose deaths have increased in America in recent years, so has the desire to avenge them by prosecuting friends, family members and others for what's become known as "drug induced homicide." A May investigation by the New York Times found that there had been over 1,000 such prosecutions since 2015 in just 15 states--and that they almost doubled between 2015 and 2017 alone.

These cases often involve charges against fellow users who were present at an overdose or people with whom the deceased purchase drugs. A tiny minority of such cases ... involve dealers slightly above street level. But many of the defendants are people with their own addictions, most of whom barely get by, let alone make kingpin-level profits.

To these prosecutions, the members of a coalition of people who use drugs called the Urban Survivors Union want to say collectively, "Not in our name."

And International Overdose Awareness Day, which started in 2001 in Australia and now includes hundreds of events around the world, seemed as good a time as any to declare their intent in what they're calling the Last Will and Testament Initiative.
Click to expand...

Read the full story here.
 
Not that I need a reason to go off on DA's and the like but WTF! They honestly have nothing better to do with their time than to charge fellow drug users/addicts with murder because they're in the vicinity. I mean I know they want to take on nothing but slam dunk cases so they can keep their conviction rate up, but this borders on the absurd!

On the personal commentary note, I just want it to be known how often DA's and AD's parade around their conviction success rate like major league pitchers do their won loss record or ERA. I got news for you - any of those types that don't have a 100% record is either an idiot or incompetent! They are able to pick and choose who to go after and they will almost NEVER take on any case they even have the slightest chance of not winning. Being so lopsided as it is speaks to why so many defendants plead out. I'll get off my soap box now. Thanks for letting me vent for a moment.
 
My older brother OD'd and died in 2005, A heroin addict sold him and his 2 friends Subutex and they had been drinking alcohol they had no real idea what is was, they all fell asleep and my brother didn't wake up. Nothing happened to the dealer.
 
I'm sorry for your loss freesolo123

With regards to the OP though this is thoroughly disgusting and will cost more lives, as people will be less inclined to contact emergency services for fear of prosecution.

While the UK has never had the most liberal drugs policy (having blindly followed the USA model of prohibition following the UN Single Convention) some of the issues are at least mitigated by the use of considered policing - they will not attend the scene of any drug related medical emergency unless there is good reason to do so (for instance, if the patient is behaving in a dangerous or violent manner).
 
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