Medical Amnesty and Good Samaritan Policies for Alcohol and Drugs

What medical amnesty covers

Medical amnesty is a college policy that removes the fear of getting in trouble for calling for help during an alcohol or drug emergency. If you drink too much or take drugs and need medical attention, your school will not open a conduct case against you for the alcohol or drug policy violation itself, as long as you or someone with you contacts 911, campus safety, or a resident advisor. TCU's policy and SUNY New Paltz's policy both describe this as removing the barrier that keeps students from getting medical help out of fear of punishment.

The policy exists because students often hesitate to call for a friend who has passed out or is showing signs of alcohol poisoning. Schools would rather have you make that call than wait and hope the person recovers on their own.

How the Good Samaritan side works

Good Samaritan protection is the second half of the same policy. It covers the student who calls for help, not just the student who needs it. MIT's Good Samaritan policy and Santa Clara University's policy both extend amnesty to the caller even if that student had also been drinking or using drugs at the time.

This matters because the person calling for help is often in the same situation as the person who needs it. Without this protection, a student might stay quiet rather than risk a conduct violation for themselves.

What amnesty does not cover

Medical amnesty has limits. It protects you from your college's internal conduct process for the alcohol or drug possession violation connected to that specific emergency. It does not erase state or local law. Police who respond to the call can still issue a citation or make an arrest under the law that applies in that city or state.

Lewis and Clark College's policy and similar policies at other schools also carve out exceptions. Amnesty usually does not apply to:

• Selling or providing alcohol or drugs to another student, especially a minor

• Property damage, fighting, or other misconduct connected to the incident

• Hazing incidents where the alcohol or drug use was part of a hazing event

• Repeated use of the policy for the same student, since most schools treat it as a one time or limited protection

Amnesty also usually stops covering you if you refuse to cooperate with staff after the incident or if the same pattern keeps happening. Schools want to see that you used the protection for a genuine emergency, not as a way to avoid consequences for ongoing violations.

What happens after you make the call

After the emergency response, most schools still follow up with the student who needed help. Instead of a conduct hearing, this usually means a meeting with a dean of students or health educator, a required alcohol or drug education course, or a brief check in about support resources. The follow up is educational rather than punitive, which is the entire point of the policy.

Parents may still be notified in some cases, particularly for students under 21 or when the incident involved a hospital visit, depending on your school's policy and applicable privacy rules. Ask your school directly how parental notification works alongside amnesty, since this varies by institution.

Check your school's specific policy before you need it

Every college writes its own version of this policy, so the details differ. Search your school's student handbook for "medical amnesty" or "Good Samaritan policy" to find the exact wording, the number of times it applies, and what follow up steps are required. Knowing the policy before an emergency happens means you will not hesitate when a friend needs help.