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July 01, 2005

Public Health over Prosecution

Stephanie Rearick of the PD Drug Policy Committee wrote an editorial commenting on the case of Scott Roberts, a Madison resident who is being charged with delivering heroin for bringing his girlfriend to the emergency after she overdosed. Rearick stresses harm reduction over prosecution and explains how prosecution of cases like this could discourage people from seeking medical attention for their friends.

The entire editorial is available in the Capital Times and highlights from it are below:

In a perfect world, individuals would always put saving a life over fear of personal consequences. But as we know, it's not a perfect world. In a situation where the people present are using intravenous drugs, it's hard to expect them to have clear heads about what to do in an emergency.

Reasonable people can easily question the decisions made by Madison resident Scott Roberts leading up to the point at which his girlfriend overdosed on March 5. But, after the overdose, Roberts' decision to take his girlfriend to the emergency room was the right one.

Unfortunately, this effort led to scrutiny by law enforcement officials. Roberts is now facing a $35,000 fine and up to 18 1/2years in prison on a charge of delivering heroin, a controlled substance. His girlfriend has been charged with possession of heroin, likely to help encourage her to provide information about Roberts.

Our law enforcement officials continually reassure us that saving lives is their utmost priority. They claim that they almost never prosecute people who call 911 or otherwise seek medical attention in case of an overdose. But then a case like this comes along and "almost never" means nothing. Drug users see these events and realize that, yes, they are putting themselves in danger when they seek medical attention for their friends.

Our law enforcement officers and local prosecutors need to make a policy that codifies the importance of saving lives over the importance of busting drug users. Many communities around the world are employing harm-reduction measures in regard to drug policy, often with great success.

Posted by prodane at July 1, 2005 06:17 PM