Calling for Help in an Overdose
Iowa Code § 124.418 — what a call for help reveals cannot be used to charge simple possession
Information gained because an overdose patient, or the first person to call for help, sought medical assistance in good faith does not support probable cause and is not admissible against either one for possession, or for delivery by sharing without profit.
- Pretrial release, probation, supervised release or parole is not revoked on that information.
- A court may treat giving first aid in an overdose as a mitigating factor.
- The protection applies to someone who has not received it before.
Not everything is covered. Police may still investigate the overdose, and evidence of other crimes, or evidence from other sources, can still be used.
Sources for this section (1)
- Iowa Code § 124.418 — Persons seeking medical assistance for drug-related overdose
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Iowa attorney.