Reducing Overdose Deaths in Connecticut

AIDS Project Hartford and the Connecticut AIDS Resource Coalition say they'll work this legislative session to get lawmakers to consider a Good Samaritan 911 law. The proposal would encourage individuals who witness an overdose to call 911 without fear of an arrest.

 

Mark Kinzly, a drug treatment advocate says overdoses are an increasing problem in Connecticut for people on prescription drugs.

 

"Folks that find themselves in the grips of opiate addiction who can no longer either afford or access prescription medications end up coming to the streets of Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport and start accessing heroin. Oftentimes you can't regulate the purity or quality of this particular drug and we find people who are opiad naive for lack of a better term who find themselves in distress.

 

The second part of the lobbying effort would be to expand the availability of drug called Narcan which is a prescripton medication that can reverse an  opiate related overdose

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Shawn Lang, public policy director for Connecticut AIDS Resource Coalition says providers are hesitant to prescribe Narcan because they're worried they will be sued if an individual dies from a overdose despite having a prescription for Narcan. 

 

Lang says legislators can make a change to a current statute to prevent doctors liability. She says winning support for this and the good samaritan law may be tough considering its an election year and lawmakers don't want to appear soft on drugs. Lang stresses the proposals can save lives.

 

"People can have whatever opinions they have of folks who are addicts and who use drugs recreationally but the bottom line is everyone deserves a chance and everyone's life deserves to be saved."

 

States that have Good Samaritan 911 laws include Washington state and New Mexico.