Is Rehab Requirement Best Way to Fight Opioid Epidemic?

The abuse of opioids has reached a crisis level in Massachusetts, with more than 1,000 deaths last year.

Currently, most addiction care is in the hands of the criminal justice system, not doctors.

"Historically, women have gone to Framingham if there aren't treatment beds for them, and it's been a process that's really removed from the medical system," said Dr. Sarah Wakeman of Massachusetts General Hospital's substance use disorder initiative.

Wakeman was part of a working that led up to Gov. Charlie Baker's administration's plan to give doctors the power to force addiction treatment without legal approval.

It's a process that is currently used for patients in psychiatric emergencies.

But critics say for it to apply to drug abuse, there have to be the resources to accommodate the influx of patients.

"There's limited treatment options, so the really important piece of Baker's plan is expanding access to all kinds of treatment," said Wakeman.

And then there are concerns about whether forcing rehab on a patient will backfire, scaring people away from seeking help.

"I think when people realize that we're here to help - we're not going to arrest them, we're not going to punish them, we're not going to send them to a prison facility - that this is really meant to provide them the best treatment to save their lives, that people will hopefully not be scared away from the medical system," said Wakeman.

The American Civil Liberties Union supports involuntary mental health commitment. Necn reached out to our local chapter to get their opinion on forced drug rehab, but they did not immediately respond.

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