By Black Star News
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
The New York Civil Liberties Union is warning against New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ push to empower medical professionals to force substance abuse addicts, without their approval, into hospital treatment.
In a Thursday announcement, Adams unveiled his “Compassionate Interventions Act” proposal, while given a speech at the conservative Manhattan Institute think tank.
During his speech, Adams said, “As we look forward to a new legislative session in Albany, we are asking for your support of the Compassionate Interventions Act. It will help those caught in the grip of addiction recover; improve quality of life across our city; and build a culture of compassion instead of a place where ‘anything goes…This authority would belong solely to the doctors and nurses. Responding to people in need, and it would be the single most effective tool in helping end the drug abuse crisis we see all around us.”
New York Civil Liberties Union’s Executive Director Donna Lieberman responded to Adams saying, “For too long, politicians have tried to arrest and coerce people out of substance and alcohol use and misuse, and the Mayor’s latest proposal is part of the same old, failed playbook.
“Forcing people struggling with substance use into treatment will not deliver recovery to the person or real community safety. Forced treatment can greatly increase the risk of a fatal overdose, raises serious due process and civil liberties concerns, and contributes to harmful stereotypes about people with substance use disorders.
“It is lost on no one that the Mayor is pushing this dangerous policy at a time when the Trump administration is cracking down on vulnerable people. If the Adams administration is serious about addressing substance use disorders, they need to invest in voluntary, evidence-based, low-barrier treatment options as opposed to coercion.”
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