Aaron's Law: Strengthening Our Tools to End Overdose Mortality - Indiana Science Communication Day, 2025

This poster was presented at Indiana Science Communication Day, a collaboration between Notre Dame and Indiana University held in the Indiana Statehouse in March 2025.

Opioid Good Samaritan Laws (GSLs) provide a variety of protections for lay people who respond to drug overdoses. Indiana's GSL is known as Aaron's Law.

Aaron's Law is comprised of IN Codes 16-42-27-2 and 16-42-27-3.

Protections

• Drug possession

• Practicing medicine without a license

• Being sued by the recipient of the Naloxone administration

Stipulations

• Only covers the lay responder and only if they

  • Administer Naloxone

  • Contact emergency services

  • Wait for emergency services to arrive

  • Cooperate with law enforcement and provide all relevant information requested at the scene

Not Protected From

• Technical violations of parole/probation

• Public intoxication

Protection in Illinois and Minnesota

Poster Citations

1. McClellan C, Lambdin BH, Ali MM, et al. Opioid-overdose laws association with opioid use and overdose mortality. Addictive Behaviors. 2018;86:90-95. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.03.014

2. Hamilton L, Davis CS, Kravitz-Wirtz N, Ponicki W, Cerdá M. Good Samaritan laws and overdose mortality in the United States in the fentanyl era. International Journal of Drug Policy. 2021;97:103294. doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103294

3. PDAPS - Good Samaritan Overdose Prevention Laws. Accessed May 24, 2024. https://pdaps.org/datasets/good-samaritan-overdose-laws-1501695153