Corey Davis, J.D., M.S.P.H., serves as Director of the Network’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. Corey and his team provide guidance and consultation in navigating the often extremely confusing maze of existing laws and regulations that hamper harm reduction initiatives.
Corey was previously a Senior Attorney at the National Health Law Program (NHeLP), where he helped to advance access to quality health care for low-income and underserved individuals. Before joining NHeLP Corey served as Employment Rights Attorney at Equality Advocates Pennsylvania, where he represented lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals before administrative commissions and in state and federal courts. He previously oversaw a street-based legal clinic sited at Philadelphia’s syringe exchange program.
Corey has served as chair of a county board of health, chair of the board of the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, and vice-chair of the North Carolina Harm Public Health Foundation, among other positions. He is a recipient of the International AIDS Society’s Young Investigator Award and has published extensively in the lay and academic press. Corey received his B.S. from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, his M.S.P.H. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his J.D. from Temple University. Corey is barred in Pennsylvania and New Jersey as well as various federal courts.
by Overview Naloxone can save the lives of minors experiencing opioid overdose. Opioid education and naloxone distribution programs cluster around Montana’s larger cities…
The Network for Public Health Law’s Harm Reduction Legal Project released Supplantation in the Context of Opioid Settlement Funds following the arrival of more than $50 billion in opioid settlement funds. Since its publication, the brief has played an influential role in shaping public dialogue and policy discussions about the effectiveness of opioid settlement fund spending. By clarifying the legal boundaries around opioid settlement funds, the Network is empowering partners to design systems that ultimately support more resilient and just public health outcomes.
by Overview Harm reduction programs and clients face ongoing threats from law enforcement in many areas of the country. Additionally, programs and clients…
Overdose Good Samaritan laws can offer immunity from legal prosecution to those who seek emergency help for someone overdosing and are associated with an approximate 15 percent reduction in overdose deaths. This resource provides information on Good Samaritan laws in each of the states where they exist.
by Overview December 18, 2025 | 1:00 – 2:15 p.m. CTHarm reduction programs and clients face ongoing threats from law enforcement in many…
President Trump and members of his administration have justified recent deadly assaults on civilians abroad by claiming that the boats they were in were carrying illicit drugs and that the alleged drug smuggling “constitutes an armed attack on the United States.” We have effective prevention, treatment, and harm reduction interventions that reduce overdose and other harms. The U.S. should embrace and fund those initiatives at home, not engage in inhumane, unjust, and ineffective attacks abroad.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia have modified their laws to increase access to naloxone, the standard first-line treatment for opioid overdose. While these laws have been successful in increasing access to this lifesaving medication, few explicitly address the legality of distributing and administering naloxone that is past its expiration date. This fact sheet discusses whether Idaho laws forbid the prescription, dispensing, distribution, possession, or administration of expired naloxone and whether medical professionals and others who take such actions might be held liable.
In late July, the Trump Administration issued an Executive Order, “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets,” that threatens to further criminalize unhoused people, people who use drugs (PWUD), and other marginalized groups. While the order raised fears that all harm reduction activities would lose federal funding, SAMHSA has since clarified that lifesaving tools like naloxone, drug-checking supplies, and sharps disposal kits remain eligible for support. Still, the administration’s stance reinforces a dangerous narrative: separating “acceptable” overdose interventions from the core principles of harm reduction, which affirm the dignity and humanity of PWUD.
Infections among people who use drugs related to lack of access to new syringes and subsequent syringe sharing among people who inject drugs have increased dramatically. Increasing access to sterile syringes through syringe services programs (SSPs) is an extremely effective strategy for reducing the spread of bloodborne disease among people who use drugs, their partners, and their families. This factsheet discusses the legality of SSPs in Maryland.
This resource summarizes the characteristics of naloxone access and Good Samaritan laws in 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Drug overdose continues to claim the lives of tens of thousands of people in the U.S. every year. Opioids, both prescription painkillers and street drugs such as heroin and illicitly manufactured fentanyl, are responsible for the majority of these deaths. In response, states have passed legislation to increase access to the opioid overdose reversal medication naloxone, including provisions that allow for the distribution of naloxone through pharmacies. Some states have gone further and now require that naloxone be prescribed or offered to some patients. This fact sheet describes those requirements and links to the relevant laws.
Contaminants including fentanyl and fentanyl analogs are now present in the illicit drug supply throughout the U.S. Because no safe supply of most illicitly used drugs is available, helping people determine what is in the drugs they obtain can be an impactful harm reduction intervention. The easiest and most inexpensive way to accomplish this is often through use of fentanyl test strips and xylazine test strips. This resource outlines the legality of drug checking equipment in 50 states and the District of Columbia.
