HI SCR124

Department of Health and John A. Burns School of Medicine are requested to study states with Good Samaritan laws and their impact on decreasing drug overdose deaths.

Report must be submitted to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the 2014 Regular Session convening.

Resolution notes that 183 drug overdose deaths occurred in Hawaii in 2011, making it the leading cause of injury-related deaths that year.

Good Samaritan policies shield individuals from criminal prosecution when seeking medical assistance during drug overdose emergencies, removing barriers to calling 911.

Ten states have enacted Good Samaritan laws as state law, including California, Colorado, Florida, New York, and Washington.