SACRAMENTO — State Assemblyman Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, is taking steps to prevent fatal overdoses on California’s public college campuses.
At a press conference on Monday at UC Berkeley, Haney plans to introduce legislation called the Campus Overdose Prevention bill, which would prohibit California public universities from expelling students involved in medical emergencies in the hopes of preventing fatal drug overdoses on campuses.
Haney said the bill, AB 602, is about “protecting California’s young people,” especially those dealing with addiction problems, and those who call 911 to help save someone who experiences an overdose. The bill, as currently proposed, does not prohibit disciplinary action for those who sell drugs or alcohol to students. It would apply to the state’s UC, CSU and community college systems and prevent students from being punished for calling 911 for drug-related medical incidents.
“What would you want to happen if this was your son or daughter in a medical emergency?” Haney said. “The reality may be that it is a difference of minutes or seconds that can determine whether they survive.”
TJ McGee, a UC Berkeley sophomore, said he is still dealing with disciplinary action that could cost him his degree if he steps out of bounds after an on-campus overdose last year. He attends the same university where student Marco Troper, the son of former YouTube executive Susan Wojcicki, died of an accidental overdose in February last year on campus.
“I just have a microscope on me now,” McGee, 19, said in an interview. “I can’t mess up in any way or there is threat of expulsion, or threat of suspension.”
McGee suffered a seizure in his dorm room while experiencing a drug overdose while his roommates were present, he said. One of his roommates called 911 and a resident assistant — another student who works at the dorms — was the first to respond to help McGee, he said.
“For them, there was for sure worry and fear of getting in trouble,” McGee said. “They felt like they had to choose between staying or leaving.”
McGee called this response “unethical,” saying he hopes Haney’s proposed bill would encourage universities to bolster their medical emergency response protocols in the face of danger.
“People fear the repercussion of hypothetically being found in possession of narcotics of any sort or alcohol of any sort,” McGee said. “This culture of shame is what held me back.”
McGee said that he will continue to be under probation until this December. He and Haney both mentioned that the fentanyl epidemic in California, especially at universities, is getting continually more dangerous for students.
Haney said 7,000 Californians since 2022 have died of an overdose. Deaths of people between the ages of 15 and 24 have doubled over the past five years, largely because of fentanyl, he said.
“In medical emergencies, you do not want your son or daughter thinking about whether they will be able to stay in school if they call 911,” Haney added. “They should just call 911.”