California · Health and Safety Code - HSC

HSC §11758.04: (a) A coroner or medical examiner who evaluates an individual who died, in the coroner or medical examiner’s expert opinion, as the result of an overdose as a contributing factor, shall report the inc

Civil

What this law says, in plain English

Coroners and medical examiners must report overdose deaths to a specific program within 120 hours. Overdose data reported cannot be used in criminal investigations, and good-faith reporters are immune from liability.

Read the full statutory text

(a) A coroner or medical examiner who evaluates an individual who died, in the coroner or medical examiner’s expert opinion, as the result of an overdose as a contributing factor, shall report the incident to the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program managed by the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program. (b) The coroner or medical examiner shall make the report as soon as possible, but not later than 120 hours after examining the individual. If the cause of death is still preliminary and pending toxicology screens, the coroner or medical examiner shall report the overdose as a preliminary report, and shall update the report when the cause of death is confirmed. (c) Overdose information reported to the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program by a coroner or medical examiner, or shared with the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program by the Emergency Medical Services Authority, shall not be used for a criminal investigation or prosecution. (d) A person who in good faith makes a report under this section shall be immune from civil or criminal liability for making the report.

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