Establish amnesty policies
Under an amnesty policy, a campus does not impose sanctions on a student who seeks help for another student in danger of serious harm or death from alcohol use, even if the help seeker has been drinking underage or has provided the alcohol to an underage peer. Amnesty policies also may be known as medical amnesty or Good Samaritan policies, and some exist at the state level. (Note: Strategy does not seek to reduce alcohol availability, one of the most effective ways to decrease alcohol use and its consequences.)
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Effectiveness: X = Too few robust studies to rate effectiveness—or mixed results
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Cost: $ = Lower
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Research Amount: *** = 5 or more cross-sectional studies or 1 to 4 longitudinal studies
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Public Health Reach: Focused
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Staffing Expertise Needed: Policy advocate
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Target Population: All students
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Research Population: College
Effectiveness ratings are based on estimated success in achieving targeted outcomes. Cost ratings are based on a consensus among research team members of the relative program and staff costs for adoption, implementation, and maintenance of a strategy. Actual costs will vary by institution, depending on size, existing programs, and other campus and community factors. Barriers to implementing a strategy include cost and opposition, among other factors. Public health reach refers to the number of students that a strategy affects. Strategies with a broad reach affect all students or a large group of students (e.g., all underage students); strategies with a focused reach affect individuals or small groups of students (e.g., sanctioned students). Research amount/quality refers to the number and design of studies.
- Lewis DK & Marchell TC. Safety first: A medical amnesty approach to alcohol poisoning at a US university. International Journal of Drug Policy, 17(4):329–38, 2006.
References from 2019 update
None
Resources identified only for strategies rated effective.
