The Medical Amnesty Initiative

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Vital Stats

Aaron L

Commerce Twp., MI
  • people helped2500000
  • People Doing It 10

The Problem

Medical Amnesty Legislation (also known as a Good Samaritan Policy on college campuses) is intended to reduce the fear intoxicated minors have of making contact with emergency officials when they themselves, or someone they are with, are in need of immediate medical attention. The legislation achieves this by eliminating the legal repercussion (a Minor in Possession ticket) that comes with drinking underage so that minors are more inclined to call when they need help as opposed to hesitating because they do not want to get in trouble. A sad reality faces minors today. They fear the consequences that may result from calling for help when an underage peer has had too much to drink. Red and blue flashing lights, handcuffs, jail, court appearances, records and futures—all flash through the minds of underage drinkers in the moments before a fun night with friends drastically changes into a life or death situation. At such a young age, without the experience of responsible drinking under their belt, the distinction between a dangerously intoxicated friend and a person who simply drank too much and can sleep it off, becomes a blur. Teenagers are young and they are scared. Teens know that alcohol can be dangerous; however, they don’t know how alcohol consumption levels vary from person to person. They naively trust that a friend, who appears to be in a state of deep sleep, will be alive and well in the morning. This common belief often takes precedence in situations when a person’s well-being comes into question. When the suggestion is made to call an ambulance, statements like, “just sleeping it off” or “everything’s going to be fine” dominate conversations. As it stands today in most states, calling 911 for help or bringing an underage individual to the hospital for alcohol related emergencies can result in breaking the law and receiving a Minor in Possession ticket. The threat of being issued such a ticket deters individuals from calling for help. In a time when underage drinking accounts for 12% of alcohol sales each year, there are over 5,000 young deaths annually as a result of alcohol-related unintentional injuries. According to “Monitoring the Future,” a study conducted in 2008 by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, approximately 6.6 million 12 to 20 year olds have engaged in binge drinking and 2.1 million in heavy-drinking . On college campuses alone, those numbers jump to more than 40%. The same survey also revealed that 1 in 8 college students reported having 10 or more consecutive drinks. and 1 in 20 have reported 15 or more consecutive drinks, within the surveyed two-week period. The numbers speak for themselves, and it is clear that this behavior puts teens at risk. Almost half of all college students are binge drinking at least once in a two-week period and most college undergraduate students are not of the legal drinking age. It is because of the staggering numbers in each of these studies that Medical Amnesty legislation is drastically needed in all 50 states. Studies show that these laws and policies are effective, and most importantly, they SAVE LIVES. In a study conducted at Cornell University which analyzed the effects of their own Medical Amnesty Protocol, data shows that following the implementation of the policy, there was a 61% decrease in respondents indicating that the fear of getting into legal trouble was a barrier to calling for help. Furthermore, the percentage of students seen by health center staff for a brief psycho-educational intervention after an alcohol-related emergency more than doubled, from 22% to 52%, by the end of the second year. Most importantly, the number of alcohol-related EMS calls increased dramatically. The fear of receiving a Minor in Possession ticket from law enforcement who is seen as an adversary and not as an invaluable asset, costs lives. However, these fears would successfully be remedied with the passage of Medical Amnesty legislation in each state. This piece of legislation has an incredible amount bi-partisan support and has the ability to begin saving lives the moment it is enacted. My objective is that we will soon see a country where minors are no longer afraid to dial 911 for another individual who desperately needs medical attention.

Plan of Action

In late 2010, while working as a Legislative Aide in the Michigan Senate, I engaged in extensive researched and wrote a paper entitled, "The Need for Medical Amnesty Legislation in Michigan". In the following months, I worked with several members of the Michigan Legislature to have a bill written, introduced, and passed, which would grant amnesty to minors who have been drinking when they contact emergency officials for immediate medical attention. Over the course of about a year from the time the bill was introduced, I educated Michigan Legislators about the issue, testified on behalf of the bill in both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, and gathered state-wide support from over a dozen organizations. I also spent a great deal of time engaging college student governments in the issue and helping them to get involved in the advocacy process. After months of hard work, the bill was passed and signed in to law on May 8, 2012. My objective is to see a Medical Amnesty bill signed in to law in each state. The fear that minors have is not limited to Michigan. I have created an organization, The Medical Amnesty Initiative, which will work with both student leaders, and leaders in the state legislatures across the country, to have this policy introduced and passed. I am going to create a program which includes all the tools student leaders in each state will need to begin a successful Medical Amnesty campaign. I created countless publications, brochures, form letters, phone scripts, and advocacy strategies which were successful in Michigan, and will provide my resources to these groups. I can help them in every step of their journey—from finding the right legislator to introduce the bill, to preparing effective testimony, to educating those around them as to the issue, to uniting student voices in to a powerful force. In addition to the powerful voice of students, I am also personally going to advocate for the passage of Medical Amnesty bills that have been introduced and will work to bring together national organizations who support this cause and realize how important it is for our young people to be making the right choice to call 911 without the fear of prosecution. We have the opportunity to save lives with a simple bill that can eliminate a growing problem among our young adults. UPDATE (2/1/13): New Hampshire, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Washington, Hawaii have all introduced Medical Amnesty legislation and we are working hard to advocate for these bills as they move through the legislative process! UPDATE (4/12/13): Kentucky, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C. have passed and are currently in effect! We are working to educate students in those states and are continuing to advocate for the remaining bills. We are optimistic that five more states will pass the bill within the next two months.

For More Info

The Medical Amnesty Initiative - www.medicalamnesty.org
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Alcohol Abuse

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