Latest news with #CompassionateInterventionsAct
New York Post
3 days ago
- Health
- New York Post
Eric Adams is right — we need involuntary treatment to solve the public drug scourge
Can New York clean up its public drug-use problem? Mayor Eric Adams aims to try: On Thursday, he called on the state Legislature to allow clinicians and judges to compel people into treatment when their drug use is hurting them and the city. 'We must help those struggling finally get treatment, whether they recognize the need for it or not,' Adams said at an event hosted by the Manhattan Institute (where I work). Advertisement 'Addiction doesn't just harm individual users; it tears apart lives, families and entire communities, and we must change the system to keep all New Yorkers safer.' Adams' proposed state law, the Compassionate Interventions Act, may face an uphill battle in Albany, as 'harm reduction' advocates assail it as coercive and dangerous. But involuntary treatment should be a tool in New York's arsenal for dealing with the public drug use that has plagued it for years. Advertisement There's no doubt the city has a problem. Last year it reported nearly 4,000 homeless residents with a history of chronic substance use — probably an undercount, as such people are less likely to be identified by the city's annual late-night census. Regardless, it's not hard to find people shooting up on New York's streets — just visit the Hub in The Bronx or Washington Square Park in Manhattan. Such behavior makes whole swaths of the city unlivable. Advertisement Public drug use hurts both users — there were more than 2,100 overdose deaths in the five boroughs last year — and the places where they use. It deters commerce, and creates environments conducive to more serious crime. Too often the city has responded to these situations with benign neglect, exemplified by its two 'supervised consumption sites,' which give people a place to use with Narcan-wielding staff standing by. These sites continue to operate, in spite of the fact that they don't work and violate federal law. Advertisement Leaving people free to abuse drugs, it turns out, doesn't save lives. Involuntary treatment, by contrast, tries to correct the behavior that drives drug users to hurt both themselves and others. That's why 37 other states already permit it — and why New York under Adams' plan would join them. Critics will insist that involuntary drug treatment doesn't work, and that people have to want to change. But the balance of the evidence suggests that involuntary treatment performs as well as voluntary treatment. That's backed up both by older research on California's involuntary-treatment scheme, and by strong indications that drug courts, which route drug offenders into treatment instead of prison, can reduce recidivism. Opponents will also say that it's immoral to compel people to get treatment they don't want, and that it violates their 'bodily autonomy.' Advertisement But there's no right to shoot up in public spaces, or to ruin your body with fentanyl. And New Yorkers should have the right to expect their public spaces to be free from disorder, including public drug use. The biggest challenge for Adams, though, may be the state's limited treatment capacity. New York state as a whole has only 134 long-term residential treatment facilities. As of 2023, the most recent available data, they were serving 2,935 clients — fewer than the city's tallied homeless drug-addict population. Advertisement Implementing the Compassionate Interventions Act will almost certainly require more funding for treatment beds, much as Adams' previous efforts to institutionalize the seriously mentally ill did. That will have to be part of any ask in Albany. But the mayor's proposal will also allow diversion to outpatient treatment programs, including a new $27 million investment in contingency management therapy — an evidence-based intervention that has been shown to help treat drug addiction. What happens if Albany says no to Adams' proposal? Or if Adams is out of the mayoralty come the next legislative session? Advertisement The NYPD can still work to clear encampments. And the city can still try to divert drug users into its drug-courts system, which, while useful, faces administrative problems and lacks transparency. But actually getting drug users the help they need, rather than just cycling them through the city's jails, will be hard — much as the administration struggled to handle the seriously mentally ill before it had the power to compel them into treatment. The success of Adams' initiative to assist the mentally ill homeless — over 3,500 people moved from the subways and streets to housing, according to the mayor's office — is a sign that such strategies can work elsewhere. Advertisement Expanding the approach to public drug use is the next logical step. Albany should get on board. Charles Fain Lehman is a fellow at the Manhattan Institute and senior editor of City Journal.
New York Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Eric Adams advances fight against NYC public drug use with new law allowing doctors to involuntarily commit addicts
Mayor Eric Adams wants to make it easier to take drug addicts off the streets — and into treatment against their will. Adams on Wednesday will unveil the 'Compassionate Interventions Act,' a proposed state law that would expand involuntary commitment for people suffering substance abuse disorder, The Post has learned. The change would help New York City fight public drug use, officials said — a scourge in places such as The Hub in the Bronx, where addicts openly inject heroin and other narcotics 3 New York City Mayor Eric Adams waits to speak after being endorsed by members of law enforcement for re-election, at City Hall in New York City, July 17, 2025. REUTERS The bill — which will be introduced in the 2026 state legislative session — would put New York in line with 37 other states that allow drug addicts to be involuntarily committed, officials said. 'Our administration refuses to turn our backs on New Yorkers in need, and with today's announcement, we're laying out a vision that will help get everyone the support they need,' Adams said in a statement. 'In the name of public safety, public health, and the public interest, we must rally to help those in crisis because 'anything goes' is worse than nothing at all.' The proposed law would be a sequel of sorts to the Supportive Interventions Act, a new involuntary commitment law law that Adams had successfully pushed for during the last legislative session. Before the change, people could only be committed against their will if they showed a substantial risk to physically harm themselves or others. 3 A zonked-out junkie stands near sanitation workers sweeping Roberto Clemente Plaza on East 149th Street and Third Avenue in the Bronx on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, following a visit from Deputy Mayors Camille Joseph Varlack, Kaz Daughtry, and NYPD commanders. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post 3 A drug dealer on an electric bike sells to zonked-out junkies at Roberto Clemente Plaza on East 149th Street and Third Avenue in the Bronx on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post The law now allows officials to take mentally ill people off the streets if they're so sick that they cannot feed, clothe or otherwise take care of their essential needs. Adams this week launched his 'End Anything Goes' campaign, an election-year push to show how his administration is cracking down on public disorder, while expanding services for New Yorkers with mental illness and addiction. The Compassionate Interventions Act would allow medical professional to transport people who appear to be struggling with addiction, as well as allow judges to mandate treatment if they refuse voluntary care. The mayor's plan will also invest $27 million focused on improving access to drug treatment, boost funding for syringe service programs by $14 million and create a new drop-in space at The Hub, officials said.
