Incentivizing treatment for addiction could be more effective than mandating

published on January 18, 2023 by Guy Felicella and S. Monty Ghosh in Globe and Mail

British Columbia recently suggested new policy for involuntary mental-health treatment. It is a large pivot on its previous stance but it does not end there.

In Premier David Eby’s examination of the Mental Health Act for involuntary treatment, he is considering expanding to mandate treatment for substance-use disorders.

With the drug poisoning crisis showing no demonstrable end, other provinces are examining similar regulations. Indeed, Mr. Eby’s policy has stirred up much conversation among clinicians, policymakers and politicians in conservative provinces across the country, including Alberta and Ontario, around the potential utility and impact of these mandates.

Recovery, however, works by attraction, not by promotion or force. As such, mandates won’t inspire change but rather will inspire contempt…