As a peer recovery coach and a person in long-term recovery, I support L.D. 1862. The expansion of this bill will protect all at the scene of an overdose where 911 is called, in this medical emergency. At this time the bill only protects the person who makes the 911 call and the person who has overdosed.

I have lost too many friends to overdose because my friends were hesitant or refused to call in the emergency because of the legal consequences some of the people on the scene may face if caught with drug paraphernalia, or if one of them has a warrant for arrest. We are losing too many people to overdose and it can be prevented if we would support changes to this bill.

If I have sparked an interest for you, and you would like more information on the Good Samaritan law you can find it at www.tinyurl.com/ExpandGoodSam4ME.

I truly believe we can bring overdose deaths numbers down significantly with this expansion of the bill, and protect Mainers who save lives. Thank you for your time, and for your support of L.D. 1826.

Catherine Greenwald

Livermore Falls