Canada is experiencing a fatal overdose crisis; more than a thousand Ontarians died last year from opioid overdose. Many of these deaths are preventable if medical attention is received quickly, but evidence shows that witnesses to an overdose often do not call 911 for fear of police involvement.
Canada’s Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act was passed in 2017. It states that if you seek medical help for yourself or for someone else who has overdosed, neither of you will be charged for possessing or using drugs, nor will anyone else at the scene. This is life-saving information, so the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, in collaboration with the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, have created wallet cards with information about when and how this law protects people. The cards are being provided to people who use drugs, service providers and volunteer organizations serving people at risk of experiencing or witnessing an overdose emergency, as well as stakeholders in health, social services, government and law enforcement across Ontario. The cards can also be downloaded from the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network web site.