Drug Overdose Oversight Team (H 6014, S 713)

A bill introduced to remove the sunset provision in a law which established a team within the Department of Health to review drug-related overdoses prompted our opposition to language which continued to make law enforcement personnel central to the composition of the team. We argued that the inclusion of law enforcement on the team, who continue to prosecute drug users, was in conflict with approaching the issue as a public health, not criminal, matter. We also urged an amendment to prevent police from using for law enforcement purposes any information gathered from serving on the team.