Les Leyne: Those providing involuntary care need a rock-solid legal basis (Times Colonist)

When Premier David Eby finally committed to apprehending people in addiction and mental-health crisis and treating them involuntarily, he needed some solid medical backing to make the decision.

He recruited a noted psychiatrist with long experience in the field, Dr. Daniel Vigo, and named him B.C.’s Chief Scientific Advisor for Psychiatry, Toxic Drugs and Concurrent Disorders.

Vigo produced a detailed report last spring providing general guidance for physicians on the use of the Mental Health Act when treating adults with substance-use disorders.

It validated the move to curb the catch-and-release approach to street crime, where mentally ill people who commit crimes while addicted are routinely arrested, then returned to the street without treatment ...

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