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Committee hears bill to expand Good Samaritan protections and authorize drug checking and health-care distribution of harm-reduction supplies
Summary
House Bill 1574 would expand Good Samaritan protections for overdose response, protect clients who bring substances for drug checking, and broaden which health-care entities can distribute harm-reduction supplies; the committee heard wide-ranging testimony for and against the bill.
The House Community Safety Committee heard testimony on House Bill 1574, which would expand life-saving protections and legal clarity for harm-reduction services.
A staff briefing summarized current law: possession or use of controlled substances in public is a gross misdemeanor, with limited exceptions for those seeking medical assistance for an overdose; sales or distribution of paraphernalia are civil infractions; and state law preempts local regulation of drug paraphernalia except for a past carve-out for harm-reduction services. The bill as presented would do four things: expand Good Samaritan protections (shielding people acting in good faith who call for medical assistance from…
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