Anne Atwood Participates in Drug Law Taskforce

On January 29th and 30th the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws (NAMSDL) convened a two-day special task force to write model Naloxone Access and 911 Good Samaritan laws. The group consisted primarily of doctors, lawyers and policy makers. Anne Atwood, Christopher's mother, was asked to be part of the task force to respresent families that have lost a loved one to addiction.

Naloxone is a medication administered to reverse opioid overdose and so far 30 states have laws granting access to it to first responders, police, and in some cases, citizens that are likely to need it. 911 Good Samaritan legislation protects individuals that call for help for a friend who has overdosed from being prosecuted for their own drug use. This is designed to reduce the amount of times people flee the scene of an overdose without calling for help for fear that they might be arrested. This law has saved the lives of those that otherwise might be left to die, though only 21 states have passed the legislation in full or in part.

As task force member Sheriff Ted Schendel from Benzie County, Michigan stated, “This doesn’t have to be complicated. Our sole mission is to save lives.”

Anne reported that she was "thrilled to be surrounded by so many phenomenal professionals from across the country who are eager to improve the lives of those struggling with addiction and are in the position to create profound changes in the way we treat addiction."

Change IS coming!