Good Samaritan Law:

Protection against drug possession charges when a person has called 911 seeking emergency medical attention for a victim of an overdose. Many people fear police involvement when witnessing an overdose. The Good Samaritan law protects the 911 caller and victim from criminal prosecution against being under the influence, possession of paraphernalia and simple drug possessions.

If you see an Overdose:

CALL 9-1-1 FIRST:
Tell the 911 operator that the person is not breathing. Stay with the person if you can. Try to remain calm. If you can‘t stay, put the person (in the recovery position) on their side and leave the door unlocked for the EMTs.

PERFORM RESCUE BREATHING:
Tilt their head back to open the airway, pinch the nose and breath into the mouth : 2 quick breaths then 1 every 5 seconds.

ADMINISTER NARCAN IF YOU HAVE IT:
Spray the Narcan up their nose (full dose one nostril).

Signs of Opioid Overdose:

• Slow breathing or no breathing
• Blue lips or fingertips
• Choking or gurgling sound/ deep snoring
• Seizures or convulsions
• Person won‘t wake up: No response to yelling or shaking
• Clammy, cool skin
• Heavy nod — not responding to stimulation

 Overdose Risk Factors:

• Using alone:

– Overdoses happen in clusters — if someone has had a recent overdose pay attention.

• Lower Tolerance:

– Even after a few days of not using, one‘s tolerance can be lower. For example, after      leaving a jail or program after a few short days.

• Changes in Purity Levels:

Use caution when in a new place or when buying from a new source.
– 14x more likely to die through intravenous injections.
– Longer history of injection.

• Mixing Drugs

– Overdose risk increases when heroin or other opioids are combined with other downers       such as alcohol.
– Benzos – a benzodiazephine is a psychoactive that is a depressant (such as, Xanax,Valium and Klonapin). **Be careful when mixing opioids with BENZOS. Benzos impair your short term memory.  They are easy to find on the streets and cheaper than heroin. People use benzos to increase the effects of heroin. Drugs can be cut or enhanced with benzos without the user knowing.