Students who are intoxicated and need medical aid will be able to receive help without getting in trouble with the law if the Good Samaritan policy is passed.

Students for a Sensible Drug Policy, a group which allows students to share their opinions and ideas regarding drugs in the United States, will meet with Public Safety, Judicial Affairs, Health Services and the Student Government Association at 11 a.m. today in Campus Center to present their draft of the Good Samaritan policy.

Ideally, the policy would grant amnesty to all people involved in the situation: the person who called Public Safety and the person in need of medical attention.

Terri Stewart, director of Public Safety, said the meeting will be a good place to evaluate the pros and cons of the Good Samaritan policy.

“Other college campuses do have this program, so we need to see how it fits with our community,” she said.

Michael Leary, assistant director Judicial Affairs, said he thinks the group’s proposal has merit to it, but he thinks it will take a bit for the proposal to be passed.

SGA President and senior Jeff Goodwin said SSDP has been meeting with an SGA senator for the past few weeks to draft its Good Samaritan Policy.

SSDP President and senior Gretchen Duerr founded the college’s chapter of SSDP after transferring from SUNY-New Paltz, where she was the president of its chapter of SSDP.

“I was surprised that Ithaca didn’t already have a chapter,” Duerr said. “I decided they really needed one.”

Duerr said SSDP does not condone the use of any type of drug but does plan to inform students about what to do after “just saying no” fails.

Sophomore Katie Stein, secretary of SSDP, said she hopes passing the Good Samaritan policy will bring a positive change to the campus about drugs.

“It’s stupid that kids have to question whether or not to call for help and if you’re going to be helped or harassed,” she said.

At Cornell University, intoxicated students have been protected under the Medical Amnesty Protocol — similar to the Good Samaritan policy — since 2006, according to its Web site. The Medical Amnesty Protocol applies only to the Cornell campus, though local police practice the policy so students are not afraid to ask for help. The policy aims to increase the likelihood of students calling for medical assistance in an alcohol-related emergency.

Stein said the amount of calls to Cornell’s public safety office doubled while the amount of alcohol consumed remained the same compared to before and after the policy was passed.

“This is a very good example of how much this [Good Samaritan policy] is actually needed,” Stein said.

SSDP Vice President and sophomore Evan Nison, said the group ­ ­— comprised of about 20 students — is willing to compromise on whether the person in need of medical attention should receive amnesty or only the person calling for help.

“We’re going to talk to them about the details and then hopefully see who will support us to help pass the policy,” Nison said.

Sophomore Ben Malakoff said he thinks passing these policies will help bring publicity to SSDP and its beliefs.

“The Good Samaritan project that we have undertaken is a very good way to get a footing” Malakoff said.

Besides hoping to pass the Good Samaritan policy, the group is planning other events as well. A medical marijuana seminar is planned for the upcoming semester, and SSDP will be bringing in speakers from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, both of which are working on medical marijuana laws. The speakers will talk about how to get involved with passing medical marijuana laws in the state.

Duerr said she plans to educate members for half of the weekly meetings this semester. She said she hopes by educating students, they will be more inspired to support SSDP’s causes. The other half of their meetings, which are held at 9 p.m. Tuesdays in Williams Room 222, will be dedicated to current events and what the college’s chapter of SSDP is working on around campus.

Outside of Ithaca, the international organization of SSDP sponsors conferences throughout the country. At the conferences members of chapters meet to network, strategize and learn about advances in drug policy reform. This November, Duerr plans to attend the International Drug Policy Alliance Conference in Albuquerque, N.M.  

“It’s a really great place for networking,” Duerr said.

In the long term, SSDP hopes to remove the taboo and stigma about drugs.

“I hope that SSDP helps dispel the widely held myths about drugs in general, and I hope that we can bring positive change in how the campus handles incidents with students involving illegal substances,” Malakoff said.