WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio -- People who overdose on opioids will now face criminal charges in one Ohio town.
ABC 6 reported Thursday that overdose victims who are revived with Narcan in Washington Court House, Ohio, will earn a charge of inducing panic -- a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and $1,000 in fines.
At least seven people have been charged since the policy’s implementation in February, ABC 6 reported.
Introducing criminal charges to the mix “gives us the ability to keep an eye on them, to offer them assistance and to know who has overdosed,” city attorney Mark Pitsick said.
Pitsick added that the policy was not meant to punish overdose victims and drug users, but to connect them with resources that could help them.
