A new bill would guarantee students who call for help when someone is overdosing will not be academically punished.
Nearly 7,000 Californians died from opioid-related overdoses in 2022, and Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) said this number has doubled over the last five years.
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WATCH HERE“I never thought I would overdose in my freshman year dorm,” said TJ McGee, a student at UC Berkeley. “I never imagined I'd be lying on the dorm room floor, surrounded by paramedics, and my roommates terrified and ashamed. Not just because I almost died but because I knew the long road that was coming next after surviving my overdose. Instead of being met with care, compassion or even basic support, I was met with disciplinary action.”
His story is why he’s lobbying for Assembly Bill 602, a bill that extends the Good Samaritan laws that already exist to college campuses.
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SIGN UP As it stands now, Good Samaritan laws protect people from criminal punishment for seeking help during medical emergencies, but students can still be academically punished or even expelled for the same thing.
“The institution didn't ask me why I had overdosed or how I was coping,” McGee said. “No one directed me to recovery spaces, therapy, academic support or even basic compassion and human reassurance. The message was clear: I was a problem that needed to be managed, not a student in crisis that needed help.”
Students like McGee brought this bill forward with the 17th District assemblymember.
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“I want to also be clear. Universities or colleges can still require treatment or counseling,” Haney said. “That can still be a part of the next steps once there are interventions. But the punishment part of this is what is so dangerous.”
He also clarified that this bill would not apply to drug dealing or consequences for a student getting caught with drugs in a non-emergency situation.
This bill applies to all UC, CSU and community college campuses throughout the state but would not apply to private universities.
NBC 7 reached out to San Diego colleges and universities for their perspectives on the bill. In a statement, San Diego State University wrote:
The university already has existing policies that align with and would fulfill the requirements of this proposed legislation. SDSU has an Amnesty Policy (for individual students) and a Good Samaritan Policy (for Recognized Student Organizations). These policies outline that, generally, those needing assistance, as well as the students and organizations who call for help, will not be sanctioned for violations of the Student Code of Conduct and the Student Organization Code of Conduct related to the incident.
The next step for the bill is next Tuesday when it will be heard in committee.
