Delaware § 4769 Criminal immunity for persons who suffer or report an alcohol or drug overdose or other life threatening medical emergency

Delaware Statutes

§ 4769 — Criminal immunity for persons who suffer or report an alcohol or drug overdose or other life threatening medical emergency

Delaware § 4769

JurisdictionDelaware

Title16

PartFood and Drugs

Ch. 47UNIFORM CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT

Subch.Offenses and Penalties

This text of Delaware § 4769 (Criminal immunity for persons who suffer or report an alcohol or drug overdose or other life threatening medical emergency) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Delaware primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Del. Code tit. 16, § 4769 (2026).

Text

(a)For purposes of this chapter:

(1)“Medical provider” means the person whose professional services are provided to a person experiencing an overdose or other life-threatening medical emergency by a licensed, registered or certified health-care professional who, acting within the health-care professional’s lawful scope of practice, may provide diagnosis, treatment or emergency services.

(2)“Overdose” means an acute condition including, but not limited to, physical illness, coma, mania, hysteria, or death resulting from the consumption or use of an ethyl alcohol, a controlled substance, another substance with which a controlled substance was combined, a noncontrolled prescription drug, or any combination of these, including any illicit or licit substance; provided that a person’s condi

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(a) For purposes of this chapter:

(1) “Medical provider” means the person whose professional services are provided to a person experiencing an overdose or other life-threatening medical emergency by a licensed, registered or certified health-care professional who, acting within the health-care professional’s lawful scope of practice, may provide diagnosis, treatment or emergency services.

(2) “Overdose” means an acute condition including, but not limited to, physical illness, coma, mania, hysteria, or death resulting from the consumption or use of an ethyl alcohol, a controlled substance, another substance with which a controlled substance was combined, a noncontrolled prescription drug, or any combination of these, including any illicit or licit substance; provided that a person’s condition shall be deemed to be an overdose if a layperson could reasonably believe that the condition is in fact an overdose and requires medical assistance.

(b) A person who is experiencing an overdose or other life-threatening medical emergency and anyone (including the person experiencing the emergency) seeking medical attention for that person shall not be arrested, charged or prosecuted for an offense for which they have been granted immunity pursuant to subsection (c) or (d) of this section, or subject to the revocation or modification of the conditions of probation, if all of the following conditions are met:

(1) The person seeking medical attention reports in good faith the emergency to law enforcement, the 911 system, a poison control center, or to a medical provider, or if the person in good faith assists someone so reporting.

(2) The person provides all relevant medical information as to the cause of the overdose or other life-threatening medical emergency that the person possesses at the scene of the event when a medical provider arrives, or when the person is at the facilities of the medical provider.

(c) The immunity granted shall apply to all offenses in this chapter that are not class A, B, or C felonies, including but not limited to the following offenses:

(1) Miscellaneous drug crimes as described in § 4757(a)(3), (6), and (7) of this title;

(2) Illegal possession and delivery of noncontrolled prescription drugs as described in § 4761 of this title;

(3) Possession of controlled substances or counterfeit controlled substances, as described in § 4763 of this title;

(4) Possession of drug paraphernalia as described in §§ 4762(c) [repealed] and 4771 of this title;

(5) Possession of marijuana as described in § 4764 of this title.

(d) The immunity granted shall apply to offenses relating to underage drinking as described in § 904(b), (c), (e), and (f) of Title 4.

(e) Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to prohibit the prosecution of a person for an offense other than an offense for which they have been granted immunity pursuant to subsection (c) and/or (d) of this section or to limit the ability of the Attorney General or a law-enforcement officer to obtain or use evidence obtained from a report, recording, or any other statement provided pursuant to subsection (b) of this section to investigate and prosecute an offense other than an offense for which they have been granted immunity pursuant to subsection (c) and/or (d) of this section.

(f) Forfeiture of any alcohol, substance, or paraphernalia referenced in this section shall be allowed pursuant to § 4784 of this title and Chapter 11 of Title 4.