Students under the age of 21 may not be in violation of laws that prohibit underage drinking when they need to seek medical attention if a medical amnesty policy that exists in Michigan is brought to Ohio.
UT Student Senate is trying to bring the legislation regarding medical amnesty to Ohio in order to save lives and make an impact on the entire state.
Under this new Michigan law, minors will not be penalized by law enforcement when presenting other minors to the attention of medical staff and hospital agencies, even if they have been drinking themselves.
The existing law, House Bill 4876, was introduced to the Michigan Legislature on May 5, 2009, by Michigan State Senator Mark Meadows and was passed on Oct. 21, 2009.
Mark D’Apolito, a junior majoring in criminal justice and a member of the Student Senate, said he wrote the resolution to bring the law to Ohio after discovering that it had recently been adopted in Michigan.
“Michigan is the first state that I found that has adopted this policy. They took this to the house and presented it and then it was adopted by the Michigan law; the governor still has to pass it,” D’Apolito said.
The Michigan bill, which D’Apolito said he plans to take forward to the Ohio state legislator, includes any minor who has consumed alcohol and presents themselves to a health facility or agency for treatment, any minor in accompaniment of another minor, and anyone under the age of 21 who contacts a police officer or emergency medical services personnel over the telephone.
D’Apolito said this new provision would reduce the amount of underage student drunk drivers because, under this law, they would be able to call 911 and not be penalized.
“This would mean that minors under 21 who have been drinking can care for their peers who are in need of medical attention due to alcohol poisoning or overdose,” D’Apolito said.
Bringing this enforcement to UT’s Campus, D’Apolito said, would be a reasonable measure to relieve some fear of minors getting into legal trouble if they need medical attention while under the influence of alcohol.
“I’ve had people tell me ‘why not just lower the drinking age?’ Well, regardless of the drinking age, it has to do with peer groups, More students party in college,” D’Apolito said.
The process for getting the legislation approved would involve multiple steps, D’Apolito said.
“There has to be some public interest on the matter first. Then you have to find a state legislator to take on the project and rewrite it. The revised bill is then sent to a committee where it is studied. The committee generates an analysis before it goes to the floor of the [Ohio] House or the Senate,” D’Apolito said. “Minor changes may be made here and if the bill passes these two steps, then it bypasses the next step and goes to the governor for an approval or veto.”
D’Apolito said this would be a huge step for the state of Ohio and the University of Toledo to pursue public policy.
“This would reduce some of the dangers associated with underage drinking by freshmen and sophomores,” D’Apolito said “This issue should be of great concern to many campuses across the state. This would save lives and encourage students to get help before it becomes a dire situation.”
Sleiman Sleiman, a senior majoring in chemical engineering, said if this law were brought to Ohio it would encourage people to be more responsible and they would not refrain from getting medical attention due to fear of getting in trouble with the law.
“This would make college a safer experience. You hear stories about students drinking and being neglected,” Sleiman said.
Though some students think the medical amnesty regulation would be a good thing to bring to Ohio, especially for the benefit of college students, others think it may be abused.
“I can see where they are coming from, but I feel that would allow underage students a reason to drink even more,” said Tim Escondo, a senior majoring in history. “Drinking is a privilege and you should wait until you’re 21 to drink.”
“Why would you give them the benefit to drink anyway? Minors drinking should not be let off the hook,” said Jonathan Dawson, a senior majoring in criminal justice.
Dawson said this law would open the doors for a whole new set of problems with underage drinking.
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