NCHRC

McCrory Signs 911 Good Samaritan/Naloxone Access Bill

On Tuesday, April 9th, Governor McCrory signed Senate Bill 20 (SB20), Good Samaritan Law/Naloxone Access, into law, effective immediately. In an effort to reduce drug overdose fatalities in North Carolina, 911 Good Samaritan law provides limited criminal immunity from prosecution charges for less than one gram of drugs or paraphernalia to people who call 911 to report an overdose. The immunity also applies to underage drinkers who seek help for alcohol poisoning. In North Carolina, more than half of drug overdoses occur in the presence of another person, yet in most cases, witnesses are afraid to call for help for fear of police and criminal repercussions for drug possession. 911 Good Samaritan laws place the importance of human life above arrest for small amounts of drugs in order to encourage overdose witnesses to seek help.

Prescription Drug Abuse in the Military

by Tessie Castillo, NC Harm Reduction Coalition

Jeremy battled depression and drug addiction for years before his wife’s announcement of her pregnancy jolted him onto the path to recovery. But Jeremy’s battle with prescription painkillers didn’t start with youthful experimentation or covert exchanges with street dealers. He got his drugs from the military.

A Sergeant and combat medic, Jeremy sustained a shoulder injury during his second tour in Afghanistan. A military provider prescribed him Percocet, a strong opiate for pain relief. At first Jeremy used the pills to relieve physical pain, but as the injury healed, he continued to seek out medication to alleviate the emotional pain of combat duty.

Saving Lives with Simple Solutions
by Allison Glasser

Seven years ago, Durham resident Chad Sanders lost his sister, Shelly, to drug overdose. Shelly had been using drugs with a friend in her dorm room when she became unresponsive. Her friend, recently released from jail on parole, did not call 911 for fear that he could be arrested for drug possession. Shelly didn’t make it through the night. Unfortunately, Shelly’s story is far too common. Drug overdose deaths have surpassed automobile deaths as the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. In North Carolina, antiquated laws and practices lead to over 1000 preventable overdose deaths each year. It’s time we do something about it.

911 Good Samaritan Overdose Law and Hispanics
by Leilani Attilio, North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition

The New Heroes of Law Enforcement – Interview with Sheriff Jack Mahar, Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office
by the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition

With deaths from opiate prescription pills on the rise all over the country, a surprising new ally is stepping up to help reverse the trend – law enforcement. The Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office, a small department in rural New York state, has emerged as a nationwide leader in the battle to save lives from unnecessary overdose deaths. Rensselaer County is one of a few departments in the country that trains police deputies in the use of Narcan, an opiate reversal drug that can be administered to revive a person who has overdosed on opiates.

World Hepatitis Day
by Leilani Attilio

North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition Organizes Events for International Overdose Awareness Day (August 31) to Remember Lives Lost and Educate About Solutions to Overdose Crisis

Accidental Overdose Remain Leading Cause of Injury Death for Adults Ages 25-64

Durham, NC, North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition (NCHRC) will join the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) and dozens of organizations in the U.S. and abroad participating in the 12th annual International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31. The day honors and remembers those who have lost their lives to an accidental overdose. The occasion is also an opportunity to educate policymakers and the public about the growing overdose crisis in the United States and abroad – and to offer concrete solutions that save lives.

Interview on Syringe Exchange with Rick Basile,Retired Chief of Police, Ithaca, NY

Rick Basile served on an advisory committee for Ithaca, New York’s first syringe exchange program – while he was Chief of Police.

“I learned about harm reduction and syringe exchange programs during an interview,” explains Basile, a 30 year law enforcement veteran. “In Ithaca the interview process to become Chief of Police was unusual. Different people from the community came in and had about 45 minutes to ask me questions. One person, George Ferrari of AIDS Work, asked me how I felt about harm reduction and I didn’t know what it was. George explained to me about syringe exchange programs. Once I learned that they reduce needle-sticks to officers [by 66%], I was sold.”

Officers who receive accidental needle-sticks are at risk for transition of blood borne diseases, such as HIV and especially hepatitis C, a virus that attacks the liver and can lead to liver failure.

Written by Mannie Fresh, age 29, Durham

I'm a young black man raised in the poverty stricken communities of Durham NC.
I have been in trouble with the law a few times and am a recovering alcoholic. I have witnessed the life-styles of active drug users and also sex workers who sell their bodies for drugs or for money to be able to purchase drugs.
It's a sad sight to see active heroine users share the same needles time after time to inject themselves with a substance that their bodies have become chemically dependant upon or also to see the base user sharing the same pipe or stem until its piping hot and burns their lips, not knowing that there are risks associated with this type of using such as passing hepatitis C or HIV through the shared blood. I have sat in drug and prostitution houses trying to make a quick dollar not knowing that I was contributing to the diseases that plague those communities. This type of life-style eventually led to my incarceration.