Chairman Butler, members of the committee, my name is Levi Cramer, and I am the
Senior Director of Governmental Affairs of the Undergraduate Student Government at The Ohio
State University. The student government represents over 50,000 students at Ohio State, and
today I am here to talk to you about something very important not only to the health and safety
of the students my organization represents, but of students all across this state. Today we are
looking at underage drinking and a Good Samaritan policy that will make it easier for those
suffering from alcohol poisoning to receive treatment. Representatives, I urge you to support the
passage of HB 201 for the safety of Ohio’s students.
According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 4 out of
every 5 college students, regardless of age, drink alcohol, and of that group half reported binge
drinking of 4 drinks for women in two hours or 5 drinks for men in two hours.1 Now, in the State
of Ohio, a report from the US Department of Health and Human Services found that Ohioans
between the ages of 18 and 20 were drinking at a rate of 51.5% and binge drinking at a rate of
37.7%2. What this means is that while drinking occurs in roughly 80% of the college age
population, only 29.5% of the population is doing so legally, and while roughly 40% of the
population is binge drinking, just shy of 2.5% of the population is doing so legally.
Representatives, we are not here to debate whether college age kids do or don’t drink, we are
here to debate how best to ensure the safety of our students. When we see that a large majority of
college aged binge drinkers are underage, it must be emphasized that medical attention be
available in case something goes wrong, without the fear of prosecution. HB 201 would do just
that by ensuring the protection of anyone seeking medical attention in a time of need.
Representatives, 21 states and the District of Colombia have some form of medical
amnesty on the books in regards to alcohol, including every state that shares a border with Ohio.3
Many of these states passed these laws in response to people succumbing to alcohol poisoning or
drug overdose. In August of 2012, 18-year-old Brett Finbloom of Indiana was at a house party,
just a few days before he was to start at the University of Oklahoma. Finbloom had had too much
to drink and became unresponsive, with no pulse and no signs of breathing. While Indiana’s
1
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/special-populations-co-occurring-disorders/college-drinking
https://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/media/ReportToCongress/2013/state_reports/ohio_profile.pdf
3
http://www.medicalamnesty.org
2
version of a Good Samaritan law, the Lifeline law, was already in effect, Brett’s friends waited
30-45 minutes before calling for help, as they were not aware the law existed. Brett passed away
two days later of alcohol poisoning having never regained consciousness.4 Representatives,
please, do not wait for a martyr. With the number of underage binge drinkers in this state, we
need to ensure that people are not charged for helping out a friend before it is too late.
I’m sure many of you are thinking to yourselves, “What police officer would charge
someone trying to get help?” I’d love to tell you no one, but that’s unfortunately not the case. In
Illinois a 15 year old boy was charged with underage drinking after calling 911 for his friend
who had drank an entire bottle of vodka. The friend, who had a .33 BAC level, thankfully
survived but said that he was faced with an enormous amount of guilt at hearing his friend would
be charged for helping him.5 Unfortunately we could see something similar in Ohio. An article
written for Bowling Green State University’s newspaper discussed how people searching for
help could be charged. In the article, it’s outlined that 911 calls go to police dispatchers who will
send an ambulance as well as police car to the scene of a medical emergency. The article goes on
to state, “[A Lt.] of the Bowling Green Police Division, said upon arriving, police will attempt to
identify the subject and their age. Typically individuals are cited for disorderly conduct, unable
to care for self and underage under the influence, he said. An ambulance will take the
unconscious person to the hospital if no one is present to take care of them.” Further, the Lt. was
quoted as saying “The subject may even be taken to jail” and that “You're going to get a ticket at
least.”6 Representatives, this attitude towards someone needing medical attention is absolutely
appalling. We need to ensure that people are protected and able to get the help they need.
When looking at HB 201, another question needs to be addressed as well. What happens
after medical amnesty bills are passed? To put it simply, more people are getting the help they
need, without an increase in incidents. The International Journal of Drug Policy did a study
where they looked at alcohol poisoning at Cornell University. This study found that while the
number of alcohol related 911 calls increased by about 22% after the implementation of a Good
Samaritan policy, the number of alcohol related incidents stayed roughly the same, with a slight
4
http://www.therepublic.com/view/local_story/Sobering-knowledge-Friend-s-al_1362627587
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/08/05/teen-charged-after-helping-friend-dying-from-alcohol-poisoning/
6
http://www.bgnews.com/campus/hospital-visit-for-underage-drinking-can-lead-to-citation/article_bdddc3b7-f71e595c-8fc9-def9d5d32fb4.html
5
increase in incidents occurring by women, and a slight decrease of incidents occurring by men.
The study also found that the percentage of people who reported not calling for medical help due
to fear of getting either themselves or the person needing help in trouble fell from 5.1% to 2.5%
after the implementation of the policy, cutting the rate by more than half.7 What this means is
that due to a Good Samaritan policy similar to HB 201, more people were getting the help they
needed and there was not a statistically significant increase in underage drinking. This legislation
is not a “get-out-of-jail-free card.” It will not encourage minors to drink, but rather it serves as a
preventative measure to ensure that nothing holds anyone back from reaching out for help.
In conclusion, HB 201 is something that can save the lives of Ohioans. Many universities
in this state see the potential in Good Samaritan policies and have enacted them on their
campuses, Ohio State University included.8 With a vast majority of college aged binge drinkers
being minors, it’s imperative that we ensure that the wellbeing of our students is our top priority.
We must not wait for a martyr like other legislative bodies have. The Undergraduate Student
Government at The Ohio State University stands behind Representatives Dever, Stinziano,
Antani, Bishoff, and Ramos in supporting HB 201 and applaud their work at keeping our
students safe. Attached you will find a copy of the resolution our General Assembly passed in
support of the passage of HB 201. Last year the University of Cincinnati passed a resolution
showing support for a similar piece of legislation from the last Ohio General Assembly as well.9
Chairman Butler, members of the committee, thank you very much for your time, I hope that
what I have shared with you today has shown the importance of HB 201 to the students at Ohio
State, and that you all will support the passage of this wonderful piece of legislation. I now stand
to answer any questions, comments, or concerns you may have for me.
7
http://www.gannett.cornell.edu/cms/pdf/aod/upload/Safety1stcornellMedamnesty.pdf
https://studentlife.osu.edu/pdfs/osu-policy-on-alcohol.pdf
9
http://sites.ucfilespace.uc.edu/sg/sites/default/files/S.14-R019%20Support%20of%20Ohio%20House%20Bill%20392.pdf
8