Innovative Policy Responses to Overdose

Innovative Policy Responses to Overdose 
Santa Barbara A/B, Lobby Level
The number of overdose deaths has climbed dramatically in the last decade, mostly because of prescription drugs. Accidental drug overdose is now the second leading cause of accidental death in the United States. Significant federal funding is directed toward preventing HIV/AIDS and homicide, but virtually no federal dollars are designated for overdose prevention – even though overdose kills more people than murder or HIV/AIDS. What is the significance of the successful passage of 911 Good Samaritan legislation in several states, and the expansion of access to the overdose reversal drug Naloxone? And what other effective policy responses are available to stem this easily preventable epidemic?  

Facilitator: Meghan Ralston, Harm Reduction Coordinator, Drug Policy Alliance, Los Angeles, CA

• Caleb Banta-Green,  Research Scientist, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA   
• Alice Bell, Overdose Prevention Project Coordinator, Prevention Point Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
• Maya Doe-Simkins, Consultant, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA
• Nguyen Phuong Lan, Director's Assistant, Center for Supporting Community Development Initiatives, Hanoi, Vietnam          
• Elizabeth Owens, Leader, VOCAL, New York, NY