Amy Lieberman

Despite increasing acceptance of harm reduction as an important and necessary component of the country’s efforts to reduce the overwhelming number of opioid overdose deaths, harm reduction law and policy has seen both ups and downs in the past year. However, there is a movement to support people who use drugs, to improve the public’s health, to save lives, and to impart basic human dignity to all.   

This resource summarizes the characteristics of naloxone access and Good Samaritan laws in 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Drug overdose continues to claim the lives of tens of thousands of people in the U.S. every year. Opioids, both prescription painkillers and street drugs such as heroin and illicitly manufactured fentanyl, are responsible for the majority of these deaths. In response, states have passed legislation to increase access to the opioid overdose reversal medication naloxone, including provisions that allow for the distribution of naloxone through pharmacies. Some states have gone further and now require that naloxone be prescribed or offered to some patients. This fact sheet describes those requirements and links to the relevant laws.

Overdose Good Samaritan laws can offer immunity from legal prosecution to those who seek emergency help for someone overdosing and are associated with an approximate 15 percent reduction in overdose deaths. This resource provides information on Good Samaritan laws in each of the states where they exist.

The Network for Public Health Law’s Harm Reduction Legal Project, in collaboration with ChangeLab Solutions, is hosting a series of four webinars funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to introduce two forthcoming resources that policy decision makers can use to support their work to advance policies to reduce overdose and other drug-related harm. Each webinar will introduce the resources, Preventing Overdose & Reducing Drug-Related Harm: A Policy Guide for State and Local Change and Implementing State and Local Overdose Prevention Policies: A Resource for Navigating the Policy Process. The individual webinars will additionally provide specific information on policies most relevant to one of four sectors: community, criminal/legal, healthcare, and schools (K-12). In this session – focused on the schools sector – a guest speaker will discuss their experience implementing harm reduction policies, including strategies and challenges, and answer questions from attendees.

The Network for Public Health Law’s Harm Reduction Legal Project, in collaboration with ChangeLab Solutions, is hosting a series of four webinars funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to introduce two forthcoming resources that policy decision makers can use to support their work to advance policies to reduce overdose and other drug-related harm. In this session – focused on the healthcare sector – a guest speaker will discuss their experience implementing harm reduction policies, including strategies and challenges, and answer questions from attendees.

The Network for Public Health Law’s Harm Reduction Legal Project, in collaboration with ChangeLab Solutions, is hosting a series of four webinars funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to introduce two forthcoming resources that policy decision makers can use to support their work to advance policies to reduce overdose and other drug-related harm. In this session – focused on the criminal/legal sector – a guest speaker will discuss their experience implementing harm reduction policies, including strategies and challenges, and answer questions from attendees.

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, Network attorneys and staff have identified six key policies with the potential to significantly improve mental health outcomes across the United States. This policy brief covers a wide range of areas focused on communities and those who work to support communities. It is designed as a practical resource for public health professionals, leaders, and partners, offering strategies to enhance mental health and well-being while reducing disparities in mental health care.

Attend this webinar, co-sponsored by the Network’s Harm Reduction Legal Project and ChangeLab Solutions, to learn about resources communities can employ to support selecting, adopting, and implementing policies to reduce overdose and other drug-related harm. Law and policy experts will provide an overview of two recently published resources: Preventing Overdose and Reducing Drug-Related Harm: A Policy Guide for State and Local Change and Implementing State and Local Overdose Prevention Policies: A Resource for Navigating the Policy Process. Attendees will also hear from individuals working within their communities to implement harm reduction strategies and policies.

This fact sheet provides information on Pennsylvania's Act 139, which provides limited immunity to overdose victims and bystanders that seek medical help, and increases accesss to naloxone, a drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

This survey of state laws outlines how the legal landscape in each state may affect access to harm reduction services and supplies.

In the U.S. there is considerable variation in the presence and specifics of laws regarding drug paraphernalia, naloxone access, and protections for people who call for help in an overdose, and these laws have changed over time. This webinar is designed to reduce confusion around harm reduction laws in the U.S. and help individuals and organizations better understand how the legal landscape in their state may impact access to harm reduction services and supplies and emergency medical assistance in an overdose.