NEG Parliamentary Debate
The federal government should not enact Good Samaritan laws on illegal drugs as it will not guarantee escalated reports to reduce drug overdose-related suffering and fatalities due to its technicalities. The regulations provide law immunity for reporting cases of a drug overdose that cooperation from law enforcement agency cooperation and medical interventions. Good Samaritan laws cannot guarantee efficient and increased reporting, given that many people fail to understand the law guidelines adequately. Enacting the bill would have critical implications on the status quo by people taking advantage of the law cover to carry illegal drug activities (Griner, 2019). The law would critically cause human rights violation given that law enforcement officers fail to have a perfect idea of the provisions of the law. People would be intimidated from reporting for fear of harassment, thus minimal impact on reducing drug-related deaths.
The federal government should not enact Good Samaritan laws as it will expose people to fear of implications beyond charge. The Good Samaritan laws can attract other prosecutions such as trespassing, Parole offences immigration & child welfare services, and drug motivated homicide due to its limitation specifications. Good Samaritan Laws offer immunity only to being the witness of drug overdose following medical interventions that save lives. The implications are on the status quo by punishing innocent people trying to prevent deaths from drug use (Schil, 2018). The impact is undesirable as it interferes with the American Dream for equality in individual aspects of life. Individuals will be helpless as they watch preventable death happening that is motivated by the rules and regulation. It will signify government hand in causing drug overdose fatalities instead of taking the step to rehabilitate such people back to productive individuals.
Griner, T. (2019). Encouraging Action During Overdose Events–the Good, the Bad, and the Barriers.
Schill, N. (2018). The Fatal Shortcomings of Our Good Samaritan Overdose Statutes and Proposed Model Statute. Cardozo J. Equal Rts. & Soc. Just., 25, 123.
