Good Samaritan Law

In the Fall of 2014, Pennsylvania amended its drug laws to extend "good Samaritan" protections to drug users.  This legislation provides immunity to drug users for certain drug crimes when they call for help for a person experiencing a drug overdose. 

The criteria for such immunity includes the following

  • Individual must report incident to 9-1-1, law enforcement or an emergency official
  • Individual must give authorities identifying information
  • Individual must stay with the overdose patient until emergency assistance arrives
  • The law does NOT grant immunity to those involved in the delivery or distribution of drugs