MADISON – The ACLU of Wisconsin issued the following statement in response to the passage of Senate Bill 101.
Jon McCray Jones, a policy analyst for the ACLU of Wisconsin, said the following:
“Under Wisconsin's Len Bias law, anyone who provides drugs to someone who dies of an overdose can be charged with murder. This means that even a friend, family member, or partner of someone who died after using drugs could be charged with homicide if it was their drugs that were consumed.
Far from being exclusively reserved for drug kingpins or major dealers, the law does not account for the fact that people close to each other routinely share and use drugs together, and that tragic, unanticipated overdoses can happen.
While reducing rates of overdose deaths is certainly an urgent priority, SB 101 won't alleviate the crisis. An extensive body of research - as well as our own lived experiences - tells us that punitive drug laws don't reduce drug use, substance abuse disorder, or overdoses. In fact, Len Bias Laws actually make it less likely that someone will seek help for someone suffering an overdose because they fear potential prosecution.
If we want to make a meaningful difference in the addiction and overdose crisis, we have to look beyond the carceral solutions that have gotten us nowhere. Senate Bill 101 just perpetuates this cycle of criminalization and is destined to fail. We urge Governor Evers to veto SB 101."