With a little help from my friends: The effects of good samaritan and naloxone access laws on opioid-related deaths Articles uri icon

publication date

  • January 2019

start page

  • 1

end page

  • 27

issue

  • 1

volume

  • 62

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0022-2186

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1537-5285

abstract

  • In an effort to address the opioid epidemic, a majority of states recently passed some version of a Good Samaritan law (GSL) and/or a naloxone access law (NAL). Good Samaritan laws provide immunity from prosecution for drug possession to anyone who seeks medical assistance in the event of a drug overdose; NALs allow laypersons to administer naloxone, which temporarily counteracts the effects of an opioid overdose. Using data from the National Vital Statistics System multiple-cause-of-death mortality files for 1999¿2014, this study is the first to examine the effects of these laws on overdose deaths involving opioids. The estimated effects of GSLs on opioid-related mortality are consistently negative but not statistically significant. Adoption of an NAL is associated with a statistically significant 9¿10 percent reduction in opioid-related mortality, although the negative association between NALs and opioid-related mortality appears to be driven by early adopters¿states that passed legislation before 2011. © 2019 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.