50-state survey

Legality of Drug Checking Equipment in the United States

50-state surveyHarm Reduction Legal ProjectMechanisms for Advancing Public HealthSubstance Use Prevention and Harm ReductionHarm Reduction Legal Project Resources

November 1, 2023
by Corey Davis

States have been rapidly modifying their laws to increase access to drug checking equipment. Between August 1, 2021, and August 31, 2022, laws that permit drug checking equipment to be possessed, distributed, or both went into effect in ten states (Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin). An additional two states (California and Georgia) passed laws in that time period that will go into effect in 2023. Additionally, Louisiana and Texas added drug checking equipment to their overdose Good Samaritan laws.

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Direct Entry Midwives Across the Nation

50-state surveyReproductive Health and Equity Maternal and Child HealthHealth and Health Care

May 3, 2023
by Dawn Hunter and Phyllis Jeden

Midwives play a critical role in reducing maternal mortality and many states have made an effort to expand the number of midwives by allowing the licensure of “direct entry” midwives who may be credentialed despite not having a formal nursing education. This resource provides a summary of laws in all states and the District of Columbia regulating direct entry, including training requirements for licensure, the state regulatory body, and what medications midwives can administer while practicing.

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Substance Use Disorder (SUD)-Related Emergency Department Mandates

50-state surveyHarm Reduction Legal ProjectHarm Reduction Legal Project ResourcesOpioid Misuse and Overdose Prevention

October 19, 2021
by Corey Davis

We conducted a systematic legal review to determine the prevalence and characteristics of state laws that require some or all hospital emergency departments to create protocols to screen patients for substance use disorder as well as those that require that hospitals take specific actions when providing care to such individuals or individuals who have experienced an overdose.

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State Laws Addressing Discrimination against Medical Cannabis Patients

50-state surveyIssue BriefCannabis Legalization and RegulationMechanisms for Advancing Health Equity

April 7, 2021

Thirty-six states and Washington, D.C. recognize medical cannabis as a lawful medication. However, the law in many of these states fails to adequately protect patients in their efforts to secure employment, enroll in school, rent a home, or even secure child custody or visitation rights. Treating medical cannabis patients differently from other patients is inherently discriminatory and produces harmful stigma, which creates negative short- and long-term health effects.

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Characteristics of Statewide Naloxone Distribution Mechanisms

50-state surveyOpioid Misuse and Overdose PreventionHarm Reduction Legal ProjectHarm Reduction Legal Project ResourcesSubstance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction

August 7, 2020
by Corey Davis

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.

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