PROPOSED BILL WOULD SHIELD PEOPLE REPORTING OVERDOSES

As a former heroin user, Kathleen Kane-Willis said she remembered
being afraid when she called 911 to report a drug overdose because
she thought she might be arrested. Now a drug policy researcher at
Roosevelt University, Ms. Kane-Willis is pushing to resurrect
legislation that would help shield callers from prosecution when they
seek medical attention for themselves or someone else who has overdosed.

"No one should die because they are afraid to call 911," Ms. Kane-Willis said.

State Representative Constance A. Howard, Democrat of Chicago,
sponsored a bill in 2008 modeled after a New Mexico law that gave
limited immunity to overdose victims and witnesses. The bill stalled
in the House Rules Committee over concerns that it would conflict
with the state's prosecution of cases involving drug-induced homicide.

Other states have stymied similar legislation, but proponents in
Illinois are not deterred. A new bill drafted by Steve Baker, the
legislative liaison for the Cook County public defender's office, is
under review by House Democratic aides.