Mayor Adams proposes plan to get drug addicts off NYC streets with involuntary commitments

(The Center Square) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has proposed a controversial new law to get drug addicts off the city's streets by expanding the state's involuntary commitment laws.

The Compassionate Interventions Act, if approved by the state Legislature, would give doctors and medical professionals authority to hold someone at a hospital if they believe the person is at risk because of substance use. If the individual refuses treatment, a court order could mandate it. Currently, the involuntary commitment law only deals with people suffering from mental illness and only allows them to be held for evaluation.

In remarks on Thursday, Adams acknowledged that the plan is controversial and is likely to face pushback from some groups but called it a matter of public safety and health that needs to be addressed.

"We know there's skepticism, but I'll tell you what New Yorkers don't want. They don't want someone injecting themselves with drugs on their porches," Adams told reporters Thursday. "They don't want someone in the subway system that's under the influence of some form of substance abuse. This cannot be allowed to continue. We must help those struggling to finally get treatment, whether they recognize the need for it or not."

The proposed legislation would allow medical professionals to admit someone they believe is struggling with substance use to a hospital for evaluation. It would also allow a judge to mandate treatment even if that person is unwilling to go into it voluntarily. It also calls for spending $27 million on improving access to drug treatment and increasing funding for the city's syringe service programs by $14 million.

But Adams' proposal drew criticism from homeless advocates and substance abuse groups who said it will do nothing to address the root causes of substance abuse and further stigmatize people dealing with the scourge of addiction.

"New Yorkers suffering from substance-use disorder will continue to suffer until they have the resources they need and decide for themselves to get well," Ann-Marie Foster, president and CEO of Phoenix House New York, said in a statement. "Involuntary commitment for severe substance use disorder just doesn't work-and raises countless clinical and ethical concerns around patient autonomy and justice."

The Legal Aid Society also blasted the proposal in a statement that claimed it "will not solve the drug war or end the overdose crisis; it will only deepen mistrust, waste resources, and cause lasting harm to the very people the city claims to want to help.”

“Forcing New Yorkers struggling with addiction into involuntary detention is traumatic, raises serious civil rights concerns, and does nothing to address the root causes of substance use," the statement said. “If the mayor were serious about saving lives, he would invest in proven harm-reduction strategies, voluntary treatment, permanent housing, and community-based supports — not policies that amount to state-sanctioned incarceration in medical settings."

In May, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a state budget that included a provision expanding the state's involuntary allowing authorities to take mentally ill people off the streets if they’re too sick to feed, clothe or take care of their own basic needs. Before the policy changes were approved, mentally ill homeless people could only be committed against their will if they showed a substantial risk of physically harming themselves or others.