Fewer people would die of drug overdoses if their friends could call 911 without fear of being charged with possession, users say.

It’s why a group representing London drug users has launched a petition urging legal immunity to those calling for help from the scene of an overdose.

So-called “Good Samaritan” legislation — in effect in 14 American states — would bolster death-prevention efforts underway in London, said Tracy Law of the London Area Network of Substance Users.

“That’s the number one reason people die (of overdoses), because those who are there won’t call 911,” said Law. “If we had Good Samaritan laws it would mean police are there only to deal with the overdose and the medical issue at hand and won’t be able to lay drug charges.”

Posted at activism website www.change.org, Law’s petition addressed to London MPP Deb Matthews has collected 100 signatures.

Matthews wasn’t immediately available to comment.

Police don’t automatically attend drug overdose calls but often paramedics will request police assistance if there are concerns for safety.

Reluctance to call 911 is part of the reason the Middlesex London Health Unit will start distributing a drug called Naloxone. Through injection, Naloxone reverses the effects of a potentially fatal overdose from opioid drugs such as Oxycodone, fentanyl or heroin that depress the central nervous system and can stop breathing.

Health-care providers — and in some U.S. cities, police — have been using Naloxone to reverse overdoses for decades, and last October the province made it available at no cost to qualified public health organizations as part of Ontario’s harm reduction strategy.

Distribution could begin as early as April, and will include training on how to respond to an overdose — which includes calling 911.

But people are scared to call 911, because they don’t want to get caught with drugs and drug paraphernalia themselves. Instead, stories include friends hoping an overdose will wear off with sleep, or trying to wake up a peer with fresh air or a cold bath.

Asked if London police had a protocol for laying charges while responding to drug overdoses with paramedics, Chief Brad Duncan said situations vary. “Our first priority in such cases would be to assist EMS to ensure that the overdose victim receives immediate medical attention,” he said in an e-mail response.

The health unit is collecting data to determine the estimated number of opioid overdoses in London, but one outreach worker said recently he believes there are between 12 and 15 yearly.

jennifer.obrien@sunmedia.ca

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NETWORK'S GOALS

What the London Area Network of Substance Users wants:

Immunity for 911 callers Judgment-free access to health care Safe injection site in London Reduce stigma towards substance users

To see the group’s petition go to www.change.org