The Kill Shot

If someone dies of a drug overdose, should the person who provided or administered those drugs be held accountable? As prosecutors begin charging drug suppliers (even a sibling or a spouse), it’s an emerging legal question, and one that goes to the heart of the way we want to treat drug addiction. “The new initiative is sometimes in direct conflict with good Samaritan laws, which protect addicts from being charged if they call 911 when a fellow user is overdosing. The tougher approach also is in marked contrast to a growing movement that seeks to treat drug addiction as a disease and public-health crisis rather than criminal behavior.” From WaPo: Her fiance gave her heroin. She overdosed. Does that make him a murderer? I think we have enough data from the drug wars to know we can’t incarcerate our way out of the problem.

+ Consumerist: Could you get sued for texting someone while they are driving?