Governor Charlie Baker is taking another run at a controversial proposal aimed at expanding the state’s civil commitment laws. He wants to allowdoctors and police to hold addicts for up to 72 hours without judge approval. Should the measure be approved, it would take effect in 2020.
Baker first introduced it as part of an opioid plan in 2015, but the language was removed from the final bill. The Governor has emphasized that this measure is just one tool in the toolbox to fight opioid addiction, but critics say that forcibly holding addicts is a violation of their civil rights and could put them at an even higher risk of overdosing.
Adam Reilly was joined by Woody Giessmann, an addictions specialist and the founder of Right Turn Addiction Services, and Matthew Segal, the legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, to discuss.
