Parents, student push for overdose reporting law

ATLANTA (AP) -- Several metro Atlanta residents are asking state lawmakers to pass legislation protecting drug users who call for help during an overdose.

Georgia State University law student, Justin Leef, told WSB-TV ( http://bit.ly/1e30sTx ) a friend overdosed in 2011 and may have survived if the people with him weren't afraid of taking him to a hospital.

A Gwinnett County couple who lost their son in a heroin overdose in 2012 also supports the idea. They said three of their son's friends told police they avoided driving to a hospital because they were afraid of being arrested.

The couple is pushing for Georgia lawmakers to enact a version of the Good Samaritan 911 Bill, which protects those seeking medical help during an overdose from prosecution.

Several states have already enacted versions of the legislation.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2013/12/269172