Hamilton County (Ohio) residents will be granted immunity from prosecution if they turn in drugs they believe may cause an overdose in accordance with an "unprecedented" order signed by a Hamilton County judge on Wednesday, reports WCPO.
Court of Common Pleas Presiding Judge Robert P. Ruehlman granted the order following a recent increase in overdoses in several states, including Ohio and Kentucky. Authorities have tied overdoses to heroin mixed with carfentanil, an elephant tranquilizer that's 10,000 times more powerful than morphine.
Under the immunity order, a person can take drugs they believe to be deadly to any police or sheriff's station in Hamilton County — no questions asked, according to WCPO. The report notes that while the person will be granted immunity from prosecution, law enforcement must notify the prosecutor's office and take steps to ensure the drugs are safely discarded. The drugs may also be tested.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said 414 drug overdose deaths occurred in the county last year; since June this year, there have been 177, according to WCPO.
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