'Good Samaritan' policy encourages students to dial 911

• More than 11 states have their own medical amnesty policies.
• Excessive alcohol consumption is responsible for 79%2C000 U.S. deaths annually%2C according to the CDC.

At college parties, students are sometimes faced with a difficult decision — whether or not to dial 911 when a fellow student's life could be in danger.

Charlie Shreiber, senior and student body president at the University of Miami, says this hesitation is the reason for introducing a new policy on his campus.

Miami recently moved away from an older, medical amnesty policy to a new "Good Samaritan" rule. This policy states that any student who calls campus police or other emergency services for a student with an alcohol- or drug-related medical issue will not face legal consequences.

"For a university that has had an ongoing problem with alcohol and drugs, it was hard for administration to go for a policy like this on campus," he says. "But the most convincing aspect is that we're trying to save student lives."

More than 11 states nationwide have their own medical amnesty policies, but colleges are taking steps to personalize them to their campus.

Evan Eisenberg, a student board member on the Students for Sensible Drug Policy, has combed through the details of the "Good Samaritan" rule on different campuses.

The recent graduate of the University of South Florida helped write the first draft of the policy for his campus. Before attending USF, Eisenberg witnessed the effects of one of the first "Good Samaritan" policies while attending Cornell University.

"It's a psychology-based policy," Eisenberg says. "Most of the time (prosecuting students) isn't even an officer's first concern."

Schreiber says there have been 30 reported cases on Miami's campus of overdose or alcohol abuse this semester, which he believes is a result of the new policy.

"The moment a student picks up the phone to call campus police, this policy is in place," Schreiber says. "The fear of retribution is what we need to alleviate."

According to The Miami Student, three students died as a result of substance abuse in the last year.

Excessive alcohol consumption is responsible for 79,000 U.S. deaths annually, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

Recorded hospitalizations for alcohol abuse alone increased 25% from 1999 to 2008 among 18- to 24-year-olds nationally.

Hospitalizations for drug overdoses doubled alcohol rates at 55%. Combined, the U.S. has seen a 76% increase with nearly 30,000 cases alone in 2008.

Schreiber says many administration and policymakers at Miami are focused on trying to stop underage drinking, binge drinking and drug use on campus.

"I mean it's funny – if there was a policy to curb and stop underage drinking on campus period, I would be all for it," he says. "It's only realistic that students are going to drink. We can do everything in our power and it's still going to happen. I just want students to know they can get help instead of letting someone get hurt."

Although it may appear that students can get out of any retribution by simply calling 911, Schreiber says those students involved in a dangerous situation are also required to take alcohol-safety courses.

Eisenberg says this is common across campuses with the policy and many times, campus police keep track of "Good Samaritan" calls to make sure the same students aren't using it continuously.

Eisenberg emphasizes that the policies are not "get out of jail free cards" by any means. He says many times, opponents of the policy say that it makes drug use safer, therefore encourages illegal use.

"There is absolutely no evidence of that," he says. "There hasn't been any change in drug use or behavior, there's just been a change in the number of calls made for help.

"I think we're going to keep checking off one campus after another instituting this policy with a large amount of support."

Lexy Gross is a junior at Murray State University.