HB4479 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB103 32977 RLC 62784 b

103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB4479

Introduced 1/17/2024, by Rep. Dan Caulkins

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

720 ILCS 570/414

Amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act. Provides that a person who reasonably believes that another person is experiencing an overdose and knowingly fails to seek emergency medical assistance for that person is guilty of a Class 4 felony unless the person experiencing the overdose dies as a result of failing to obtain the emergency medical assistance, in which case the penalty for violating this provision is a Class 1 felony.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning criminal law.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Controlled Substances Act is amended by changing Section 414 as follows:

(720 ILCS 570/414)

Sec. 414. Overdose; limited immunity.

(a) For the purposes of this Section, "overdose" means a controlled substance-induced physiological event that results in a life-threatening emergency to the individual who ingested, inhaled, injected or otherwise bodily absorbed a controlled, counterfeit, or look-alike substance or a controlled substance analog.

(b) A person who, in good faith, seeks or obtains emergency medical assistance for someone experiencing an overdose shall not be arrested, charged, or prosecuted for a violation of Section 401 or 402 of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, Section 3.5 of the Drug Paraphernalia Control Act, Section 55 or 60 of the Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act, Section 9-3.3 of the Criminal Code of 2012, or paragraph (1) of subsection (g) of Section 12-3.05 of the Criminal Code of 2012 if evidence for the violation was acquired as a result of the person seeking or obtaining emergency medical assistance and providing the amount of substance recovered is within the amount identified in subsection (d) of this Section. The violations listed in this subsection (b) must not serve as the sole basis of a violation of parole, mandatory supervised release, probation, or conditional discharge, a person's pretrial release, or furlough, or any seizure of property under any State law authorizing civil forfeiture so long as the evidence for the violation was acquired as a result of the person seeking or obtaining emergency medical assistance in the event of an overdose.

(c) A person who is experiencing an overdose shall not be arrested, charged, or prosecuted for a violation of Section 401 or 402 of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, Section 3.5 of the Drug Paraphernalia Control Act, Section 9-3.3 of the Criminal Code of 2012, or paragraph (1) of subsection (g) of Section 12-3.05 of the Criminal Code of 2012 if evidence for the violation was acquired as a result of the person seeking or obtaining emergency medical assistance and providing the amount of substance recovered is within the amount identified in subsection (d) of this Section. The violations listed in this subsection (c) must not serve as the sole basis of a violation of parole, mandatory supervised release, probation, or conditional discharge, or any seizure of property under any State law authorizing civil forfeiture so long as the evidence for the violation was acquired as a result of the person seeking or obtaining emergency medical assistance in the event of an overdose.

(d) For the purposes of subsections (b) and (c), the limited immunity shall only apply to a person possessing the following amount:

(1) less than 3 grams of a substance containing heroin;

(2) less than 3 grams of a substance containing cocaine;

(3) less than 3 grams of a substance containing morphine;

(4) less than 40 grams of a substance containing peyote;

(5) less than 40 grams of a substance containing a derivative of barbituric acid or any of the salts of a derivative of barbituric acid;

(6) less than 40 grams of a substance containing amphetamine or any salt of an optical isomer of amphetamine;

(7) less than 3 grams of a substance containing lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), or an analog thereof;

(8) less than 6 grams of a substance containing pentazocine or any of the salts, isomers and salts of isomers of pentazocine, or an analog thereof;

(9) less than 6 grams of a substance containing methaqualone or any of the salts, isomers and salts of isomers of methaqualone;

(10) less than 6 grams of a substance containing phencyclidine or any of the salts, isomers and salts of isomers of phencyclidine (PCP);

(11) less than 6 grams of a substance containing ketamine or any of the salts, isomers and salts of isomers of ketamine;

(12) less than 40 grams of a substance containing a substance classified as a narcotic drug in Schedules I or II, or an analog thereof, which is not otherwise included in this subsection.

(e) The limited immunity described in subsections (b) and (c) of this Section shall not be extended if law enforcement has reasonable suspicion or probable cause to detain, arrest, or search the person described in subsection (b) or (c) of this Section for criminal activity and the reasonable suspicion or probable cause is based on information obtained prior to or independent of the individual described in subsection (b) or (c) taking action to seek or obtain emergency medical assistance and not obtained as a direct result of the action of seeking or obtaining emergency medical assistance. Nothing in this Section is intended to interfere with or prevent the investigation, arrest, or prosecution of any person for the delivery or distribution of cannabis, methamphetamine or other controlled substances, drug-induced homicide, or any other crime if the evidence of the violation is not acquired as a result of the person seeking or obtaining emergency medical assistance in the event of an overdose.

(f) A person who reasonably believes that another person is experiencing an overdose and knowingly fails to seek emergency medical assistance for that person is guilty of a Class 4 felony unless the person experiencing the overdose dies as a result of failing to obtain the emergency medical assistance, in which case the penalty for violating this subsection (f) is a Class 1 felony.

(Source: P.A. 102-4, eff. 4-27-21; 102-476, eff. 1-1-22.)