Drug-induced homicide (DIH) refers to the practice of prosecutors bringing homicide charges against individuals who supply drugs that result in an overdose death.
Drug-induced homicide laws are ineffective, counterproductive, and must end. Drug-induced homicide prosecutions can increase overdose death risk, exacerbate racial disparities, and consume resources without evidence of lifesaving or otherwise improved public health outcomes. They exacerbate the very problem they seek to remediate by discouraging people who use drugs from seeking medical help, and by targeting the friends, families, and peers of people who use drugs.
In order to effectively address the ongoing overdose crisis, DIH laws must be repealed. Lives lost to overdose are best honored by implementing evidence-based solutions – like increased addiction services, drug checking, and overdose prevention centers – that help individuals, families, and communities heal and that prevent additional avoidable deaths.
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