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About a year before Tyler Cordeiro died of a drug overdose, his mother, Susan Ousterman, said he witnessed his friend die of one after they had used together.
“He was distraught and grieving over his friend,” said Ousterman, who lives in Bucks County. “But he didn’t get to [fully] do that, because he was so terrified he would be arrested for his friend’s death.”
Pennsylvania and other states have Good Samaritan laws that include criminal and legal protections for witnesses who report a drug overdose to 911, but immunity may only apply in specific circumstances or when certain requirements are met.
It means law enforcement and prosecutors may still pursue charges and sentences under drug-induced homicide, drug use and possession, and other drug-related laws.
Now, as some states and cities look to enact harsher penalties or take a more aggressive approach in enforcing existing drug laws, like in Philadelphia, Ousterman and others are fighting against policies that could lead to more incarcerations. Instead, these parents and family members call for solutions that treat the opioid epidemic as a public health crisis.
“As long as we see people who use drugs as criminals, they’re not going to get the services and support that they need,” Ousterman said. “I never in a million years thought that I would be someone here advocating for decriminalization of drugs, but it’s a reality. These people are suffering. They need health [care], not jail.”