Amy Lieberman

Arnold Ventures has renewed funding support for the Network for Public Health Law’s Harm Reduction Legal Project, which works to address the legal and policy barriers that impede the establishment and expansion of evidence-based harm reduction measures such as naloxone distribution, syringe access programs, and access to evidence-based substance use disorder treatment.

Despite state efforts, disparities in access to the life-saving overdose reversal drug naloxone are widespread.  People of color and those experiencing homelessness face numerous barriers to obtaining naloxone, which is especially concerning given that from 2018 to 2019, overdose deaths for non-Hispanic Black individuals increased 40 percent, while deaths remained stable among individuals of other races and ethnicities. One innovative way to improve access is through the use of naloxone vending machines, an approach currently in use in a number of prisons and jails. 

This fact sheet briefly discusses the efficacy of expired naloxone and examines whether North Carolina law permits the distribution and administration of such naloxone.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed annually to promote awareness and support for the rights and wellbeing of people with disabilities. One in four adults in the United States have a disability, and solutions to advance accessibility, inclusion, and equity must account for the diversity of experiences among people with disabilities. To mark the occasion, Network attorneys highlight recent law and policy developments related to health equity, sexual orientation, and gender identity. 

This fact sheet briefly discusses the efficacy of expired naloxone and examines whether Washington law permits the distribution and administration of such naloxone.

This fact sheet briefly discusses the efficacy of expired naloxone and examines whether California law permits the distribution and administration of such naloxone.

Like many others, we recently recognized the 20th International Overdose Awareness Day, and we are especially somber, as we know that the past year has seen more people die from preventable overdose than ever before. The Biden administration acknowledged the gravity of this moment by issuing a proclamation declaring Overdose Awareness Week. Over 94,000 families, friends, co-workers, and neighbors in the United States lost someone they loved. Many more folks faced the trauma of experiencing an overdose, reversing an overdose, or witnessing an overdose.

Parents want to ensure the safety of their children whenever they are passengers in their vehicles by using appropriate car seats or booster seats. Every state has laws regarding child safety restraints for young children while riding in a motor vehicle. However, what happens when parents of young children travel? Rideshares, like Uber and Lyft, are an attractive way to get from the airport to a hotel or other destination. Unfortunately, the requirements around using child safety restraints in rideshares vary by state and are often vague.

This resource summarizes the characteristics of naloxone access and Good Samaritan laws in 50 states and the District of Columbia.

In this webinar, presenters will describe the nature of the laws being announced from the judicial bench or proposed in state legislatures, the process by which they are being formulated in every level and branch of government, and the principles that should guide legal developments as we seek to balance the facts, expert opinion, and civic participation, as well as guard against harmful unforeseen consequences.

The Network has joined with public health law partners to produce a new report, COVID-19 Policy Playbook: Legal Recommendations for a Safer, More Equitable Future, examining policy challenges and opportunities in light of the pandemic. In this Q&A, the Network’s Corey Davis and Amy Lieberman discuss some of the key elements in the chapter they co-authored for the report including the positive impact of opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment, recent changes to increase access to that treatment, and recommendations for permanently reducing legislative and regulatory barriers to effective, evidence-based interventions for OUD.

The United States continues to experience an unprecedented level of drug-related harm. While the failure to prevent this harm is most notable in the number of overdose deaths, which are now at their highest level on record, it is evident in other areas as well. Of particular importance from a policy perspective, bloodborne disease infections related to syringe sharing are also on the rise, with recent outbreaks in Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Indiana, among other states. Cases of infective endocarditis, which is caused largely by unsafe injection, are increasing as well.