DRUG BILL WORTH A LOOK

In Brief: A proposed bill would allow families to seek mandatory drug
rehabilitation for children under the age of 18.

Saskatchewan Party MLA June Draude's private members' bill on drug
treatment deserves consideration.

The Protection and Assessment of Children who are Abusing Drugs Act calls
for families to be given the right to seek mandatory rehabilitation for
drug-addicted children under the age of 18. The act, which Draude
introduced Wednesday in the legislature, is based on a similar bill passed
recently in Alberta.

Under the act, legal guardians who believe their child to be addicted would
be permitted to make an application to a court to have the child detained
and kept in a safe house for no more than 30 days. If the application is
granted and the child is sent to a safe house, the director of the facility
would conduct an assessment and if necessary, the child would then undergo
detoxification and treatment.

Although Draude put forward her bill in response to high-profile stories in
the last year of parents trying to deal with children addicted to crystal
meth, it would apply to all drugs and alcohol. She explained the intent of
the act this way: "A child that's on drugs right now can't make up their
mind and doesn't really have control over their faculties and we just
believe it gives them a chance to make some changes in their life."

Taking away a person's human rights isn't something to undertake hurriedly.
So, not unreasonably, Community Resource and Employment Minister Joanne
Crofford points out there are several factors that need to be considered
before passing such a far-reaching bill. Crofford mentioned the need to
protect the rights of young people, the question of whether the same
results could be achieved through changes to some existing legislation and
the advisability of asking experts in the field about "best practices".

That said, what makes Draude's bill so attractive is that it at least
offers a lifeline to families who are being torn apart as they watch their
children destroy themselves through their addiction.

And, even though there is some dispute as to whether compelling people to
undergo treatment can work, if mandatory treatment will save one child, it
is worth looking at.