SomethingWitty

The UCP is considering a law that would force people with severe drug addictions to be placed into treatment without their consent, according to documents obtained by The Globe and Mail.

The Compassionate Intervention Act would be the first involuntary treatment law in Canada to target addiction.

Some jurisdictions, including Alberta, already use mental health laws to push people into drug treatment without court orders in exceptionally severe situations.

The Globe says this legislation would give police, as well as the family or legal guardian of drug users, sweeping rights to refer adults and youth to involuntary treatment if they pose risks to themselves or others.

Full article

If this becomes the law, it will be a huge loss of human rights for people that experience addiction. This further removes freedom and bodily autonomy from a group that is already pushed to the margins of society.

Involuntary commitment is a horrible concept that is already used to imprison mentally ill people against their will, and expanding it to include people experiencing addiction makes a bad situation worse.

Make no mistake, this will disproportionately impact people of colour and lgbtq+ people.