Sen. Glick’s SB 13 is, in my opinion, a good one. It gives Community Corrections and Probation officers similar authority and similar immunity as law enforcement officers currently have with respect to administration of overdose intervention drugs (e.g. Narcan/nalaxone). It requires those with authority to administer those drugs (EMTs, law enforcement officers, firefighters) to receive training in proper use and administration of the drug.
Those individuals are immune from civil liability for acts or omissions related to administration of the drug. This is, I believe, important because situations where the overdose intervention is necessary are likely to be situations where there will be a lot of second guessing if things go wrong. The governmental entities for whom the law enforcement, community corrections, probation officers etc. work have deep pockets. And, absent civil immunity, there’s a greater likelihood that those who were suffering a drug overdose are more likely to take a run at a payday. And if that’s a possibility, such officials might be more hesitant to administer the drug when there is a need.
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