ASUI made history when the Idaho legislature passed a bill on medical amnesty they wrote this spring.
The bill protects underage drinkers from criminal charges if they need to call for emergency medical care for themselves or a peer.
“We’re not condoning underage drinking,” said Tanner Beymer, an ASUI senator who has worked on the project for the last few years. “But people ages 17 to 20 often make bad choices, and we’d like to mitigate the consequences.”
Beymer said alcohol-related deaths are rare at UI and he hopes the new law will limit them even more.
The death of UI student Joseph Wiederrick in 2013 first prompted ASUI member Nick Wren to look into a solution. Wiederrick froze to death under a bridge after wandering away from a party where his blood-alcohol level had risen to 0.17.
The university has its own medical amnesty policy, but that only applies to university disciplinary action. So Wren, Beymer and former ASUI President Nate Fisher looked into passing a city ordinance. When they discovered doing so would likely be impossible as it would violate state law, the students decided to try to change the state law.
Max Cowan, the ASUI president last fall, conducted a poll of UI students to gauge student interest. Of those who responded, an overwhelming majority were in favor of the bill.
Fisher, who was ASUI’s student lobbyist last year, drafted a bill and was in Boise during the spring. He spent much of his time trying to get the bill passed. Fisher went to Representative Caroline N. Troy, R-Genesee, and asked for help to get the bill passed. Troy eventually became the sponsor of the bill in the House.
Many legislators expressed concerns that the law would be abused. So, a sunset clause was added to the bill, causing the law to expire in three years unless renewed.
“There’s always that chance that people might abuse it, but I don’t see anything on the horizon,” said Capt. Tyson Berrett, campus division commander. “Hopefully people will take it at face value, so in my mind I’m giving people the benefit of the doubt that they’ll use it to help people.”
The law was also criticized for removing the repercussions for an illegal act. The students involved in the bill argued that the compromise is a practical solution to a dangerous problem.
“Repercussions are no excuse to lose a life,” Beymer said.
The law went into effect July 1, but with most UI students out of town for the summer, the Moscow Police Department hasn’t received any calls invoking the law as of yet.
“I’m sure it will be used because it’s there for a reason and that is for public safety,” Berrett said. “If someone needs medical help they need to call for medical help immediately. Concern of being arrested needs to take a back seat to giving medical attention.”
Nishant Mohan
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