College students like to drink. Often. Sometimes too much. Yet before any levelheaded discussion on the issue can take place, the fact that minors have, do and will find ways to drink on Friday nights needs to be accepted. Or at least confronted.
That’s why it’s encouraging to see the University embrace an increasingly popular policy known as “medical amnesty.”
Medical amnesty applies in cases when an individual has consumed a dangerous and potentially life-threatening amount of alcohol or drugs. In such an instance, anyone in that individual’s company, regardless of their level of intoxication, may call for help without having to worry about the legal ramifications in doing so.
Various schools across the country allow medical amnesty. The University of Pennsylvania’s Office of Health Education Web site states, “In cases of intoxication and/or alcohol poisoning, the primary concern is the health and safety of the individual(s) involved.”
Cornell University also endorses this policy: “People may be reluctant to seek help in such alcohol-related emergencies because of potential judicial consequences for themselves, the person in need of assistance, or the organization hosting the event where the situation occurs… these emergencies are potentially life threatening.”
Students at this University wouldn’t be completely free of responsibility, however. A student who reports a friend to emergency services may still have to take an alcohol diversion course, or a comparable educational activity. But even then, the Eugene Police Department would judge individuals on a case-by-case basis to decide if such action is necessary. It’s far more lenient than a minor-in-possession charge, and is a small price to pay to save a friend in need.
This policy makes an important distinction between encouraging students’ drinking habits and taking all necessary steps to provide individuals with the services they need. It would be ideal if people simply didn’t drink too much, yet this is a far from ideal world. On a college campus, people tend to blow off a week’s worth of steam in one or two nights. Alcohol, for better or worse, sometimes provides this outlet.
Director of Residence Life Sandy Schoonover estimates that as many as 20 instances of dangerous alcohol consumption occur at the University each term. As a policy that increases the chances of dangerously intoxicated people getting the medical help they need, medical amnesty is a proactive approach to a serious issue.