“I admire Eric Weil, and I applaud his motive,” Harry Starbranch said. “He was trying to do the right thing” by calling the police to come and remove this man who had been using drugs at Weil’s house.
Starbranch said the main issue in the trial was whether incidental exposure to fentanyl is potentially fatal. At an October court hearing he said it was a “myth” that casual exposure to fentanyl could be deadly.
He said Wednesday that that view is a disservice to first responders who may become reluctant to tend to a victim if they hear that fentanyl is present. “It would be better if they are relying on good science,” he said.