G.D. Hancock, Ph.D.
Missouri has one law on supplying drugs that cause a death.
Added in 2024 and amended in 2026. Delivering or distributing a Schedule I or II controlled substance when a death results from its use. It is no defense that the user contributed to their own death by using the drug.
A person who seeks or obtains medical help in good faith for someone overdosing, and the person who overdosed, cannot be arrested, charged, prosecuted, convicted or have property forfeited for possession, paraphernalia and related offenses, or for violating a restraining order, probation or parole, when the evidence came from seeking help. It does not cover delivery.
Statute: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 195.205
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))
12 cases in the published sample of the drug-induced homicide case database were prosecuted in Missouri. 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 Missouri about your own situation.