Canada - Good Samaritan law credited with increase in overdose calls, police say

[S.J.B.]

Good Samaritan law credited with increase in overdose calls, police say
CBC
January 18th, 2020

The number of overdose calls Waterloo regional police and paramedics have responded to has increased over the last year compared to 2018.

Police believe that's partly because people are aware of the legal protections for those who witness an overdose and call 911.

Staff Sgt. Brenna Bonn, who works in the drugs and firearms unit, credits the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act with making people feel more comfortable to report an overdose.

"More people are calling 911 because of the protection under the act," said Bonn.

The federal law came into effect in 2017 and offers immunity for simple possession charges for anyone calling 911 to report an overdose.

Read the full story here.

 

[SunriseChampion]

Thank the universe for that law.

I remember back in 2005 going to my friend's house after he had taken some E pills I had provided him and had a negative outcome in the morning after taking too many of them and taking some 5-HTP. Anyway, he called emergency before I got there and shortly after I showed up the paramedics came.....with a cop. Apparently, cops here are summoned when it's drug related.

Anyway, the shit thing was, I wasn't expecting this and had with me a backpack full of mushrooms, meth, coke, pills, weed, and blotters (fairly small amounts of each). The paramedics left with my friend and I was stuck there with the cop asking me about where my friend got the drugs. Well didn't I nearly fucking shit myself.

It all ended well, thankfully after a lecture from the cop about doing drugs and him asking me if I loved my family after I told him what drugs I've done. hahahaa

No backpack inspection happened, but fuck me I would have felt a lot more at ease and not near panic attack/cardiac arrest if this law had been in place back then.

 

[S.J.B.]

Anyway, he called emergency before I got there and shortly after I showed up the paramedics came.....with a cop. Apparently, cops here are summoned when it's drug related.

Funny thing, I had that happen in Toronto as well when a friend had a psychotic breaks on DOx that was supposed to be LSD.

 

[SunriseChampion]

Funny thing, I had that happen in Toronto as well when a friend had a psychotic breaks on DOx that was supposed to be LSD.

Yeah, I guess it's a TPS policy....or was....when was your incident? I feel like things are quite different from back in the mid 00s.

 

[S.J.B.]

Yeah, I guess it's a TPS policy....or was....when was your incident?

Would have been 2010.

 

[SunriseChampion]

Would have been 2010.

Interesting. Well, who knows what the policy is these days in regards to that, I hope I never find out first-hand in any case, in spite of the Good Samaritan law. Mind, I don't walk around with backpack pharmacies anymore either.