Along with the arrival of spring comes the arrival of prom, graduation, and beach week season. While these events are times for celebration and enjoyment, they also call for common sense and responsibility. Over the past few weeks, Mr. John McCarthy, State’s Attorney for Montgomery County, has visited Good Counsel to speak to the student body about Maryland’s Good Samaritan Law. On his second visit on Wednesday, April 27, he was joined by Chief Russ Hamill, Chief of Police, Laurel. They both spoke about the Good Samaritan Law and the potential for various legal issues that might arise, and how best to handle them if they do. Both Mr. McCarthy and Chief Hamill have longstanding ties with Good Counsel. Mr. McCarthy is a former GC faculty member and GC parent, Chief Hamill ’79, a GC alum and GC parent.

The Maryland Good Samaritan Law  protects people assisting in an emergency overdose situation from arrest, as well as prosecution, for certain crimes. The purpose of the law is to encourage any person, regardless of age, who experiences or observes a medical emergency caused by the ingestion or use of alcohol or other drugs to seek medical assistance without fear of arrest or prosecution for:

• Possessing or using a controlled dangerous substance
• Possessing or using drug paraphernalia
• Providing alcohol to minors

Just remember…be safe, have fun, use common sense, make smart decisions.

Credits

County Health Department Substance Abuse and Prevention. Maryland.gov Enterprise Agency Template. (n.d.). Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://health.maryland.gov/qahealth/substance-abuse/Pages/Good-Samaritan-Law.aspx

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Mr. John McCarthy, Maryland State's Atoornet for Montgomery County