G.D. Hancock, Ph.D.
Kansas has one law on supplying drugs that cause a death.
Distributing a controlled substance (or analog) when death results from its use. It is no defense that the person who died contributed to their own death by using the drug or consenting to it.
Added in 2024. A person who calls for help or gives aid to someone overdosing (giving their name, staying until help arrives and cooperating), and the person who overdosed, cannot be taken into custody for and are immune from prosecution for possession and paraphernalia. It does not apply if the amount found suggests an intent to distribute, or if help is sought during an arrest or search.
Statute: Kan. Stat. § 22-2312
Does calling for help protect against the drug-death charge? No.
The Good Samaritan law does not list the drug-death offense, so it does not protect against that charge.
Whatever the law says, if someone is overdosing, call 911. A life comes first. More on calling 911.
Federal law applies in every state. When death or serious bodily injury results from using a Schedule I or II drug that a person distributed, federal law sets a mandatory minimum of 20 years and a maximum of life. Federal prosecutors can bring this charge whatever the state law says. (21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A)-(C))
7 cases in the published sample of the drug-induced homicide case database were prosecuted in Kansas. The database is still being built; the complete version will be published when it is finished.
This page describes what the statutes say, as of 7 October 2026. It is not legal advice, and it can’t tell you how a court will apply the law to any particular case. Laws change; check the statute, and please speak to a lawyer in Kansas about your own situation.