Lawmakers advance bill designed to reduce drug overdose deaths

RIVERTON — Wyoming is the only state in the nation that doesn’t have what’s known as a “good Samaritan” law on the books – a provision that grants immunity to certain drug charges to a person who calls for assistance in an overdose case.

But on Thursday, lawmakers advanced a bill that would in some cases create that immunity for people seeking help in an overdose.

The Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Committee voted 9-1 on a bill that grants some immunity for possession or use of a controlled substance for people who call for medical help in an overdose, provided they can tell authorities where the overdose is occurring, they stay with the person overdosing, and cooperate with ambulance and law enforcement.

But in joining the rest of the country in advancing a good Samaritan bill, Wyoming’s immunity comes with a caveat: the bill was amended to put a cap on how many times a person can be granted immunity when calling for help.

People calling to report that they, themselves, are experiencing an overdose, would receive immunity only twice per year.

A similar measure was defeated with a split vote in the Senate in 2017.

But this time, the idea of immunity in overdose cases has generated a broader base of support.

Allen Thompson, executive director of the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police, said his board is in favor of the legislation. In fact, he said that the law could make people in overdose situations more honest with police, which could end up helping to protect officers.

Fentanyl, the incredibly concentrated synthetic opioid behind most deadly overdoses across the country, can affect officers and medical workers – even if they just make contact with the drug on their skin.

“We have fentanyl in Wyoming right now; that is one of the most dangerous drugs that our law enforcement [officers] have worked with in the field,” said Thompson. “One thing about this bill is it could encourage honesty from the people that we’re dealing with and maybe even save the life of officers … If anything, it would encourage people to do the right thing.”

Lindsay Simineo of the Wyoming Counseling Association pointed to a national study that showed overdose deaths declined by up to 15% in places with such immunities on the books.

Rep. Jeanette Ward, R-Casper, expressed concern that people would use the immunity under the bill “over and over and over” and offered an amendment that would put a cap at two calls.

She later adjusted the amendment to apply only to those making an overdose call about themselves, not a friend, and limiting that self-reporting immunity to twice per year.

In Fremont County, drug calls to law enforcement are an everyday affair.

So far this year, ambulance workers in the county have sped to at least 86 calls reporting an overdose. That doesn’t include the hundreds of calls about an “unconscious person,” a “suicide attempt,” or “unknown problems.”

According to the 2023 Fremont County Coroner’s annual report, drugs and alcohol were a contributing factor in more than half of 2023’s coroner cases, at 57%.

Supporters of the bill say it could remove one barrier people face in overdose cases:  the fear of being charged. This could not only save lives but also help get people on the path to recovery.

“This could be a valuable resource tool to get the treatment to those people who need it and (encourage) that working relationship with law enforcement,” Simineo told the committee.

This story was published on June 24, 2024.