CALLING FOR HELP

A new law passed earlier this year by the Washington Legislature
offers a small but potentially effective way to save lives. The law,
which goes into effect June 10, is to encourage those who witness a
drug overdose to call for help. Why on earth, you ask. Health
officials say that many drug overdose deaths occur because those who
are there delay or forego calling 911 for fear of arrest or police
involvement if there are illegal substances at the scene. Instead,
Senate Bill 5516, aka a "911 Good Samaritan" law, gives immunity from
drug charges to people who seek medical assistance in drug overdose
situations. Similar laws have been passed in other states.

Shockingly, drug overdose is the leading cause of unintentional
injury death in Washington state, ahead of motor vehicle-related
deaths. Our state is one of 16 states in which drug overdoses cause
more deaths than traffic accidents. Drug overdose mortality rates
have increased significantly since the 1990s, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and illegal and
prescription drug overdoses killed more than 38,000 people nationwide
in 2006. The Washington state Department of Health reports that in
1999, unintentional drug poisoning was responsible for 400 deaths in
this state; by 2007, the number had increased to 761 compared with
610 motor vehicle-related deaths that same year.

This is unacceptable.

This new law does not alleviate anyone's responsibility in preventing
death and injury by drug use. Our efforts and campaigns to educate
all about the dangers of drug abuse - with either prescription or
illegal substances - should continue unabated. But as much as we
abhor drug and alcohol abuse, we want people to set aside their fears
of being caught or blamed and call for help if they find themselves
in a situation where someone could die.

For more information, go to the King County Department of Health or
the Washington Legislature for more on the 911 'Good Samaritan' law or SB 5516.