Secure care: more harm than good

Many who overdose on drugs in British Columbia are youth under the age of 19 years, and calls for "secure care" legislation have intensified. Secure care legislation would legitimize the detention and forced care of youth who are deemed to be at immediate risk of serious physical or psycho...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Medical Association journal (CMAJ) 2018-10, Vol.190 (41), p.E1219-E1220
Main Authors: Pilarinos, Andreas, MPP, Fast, Danya, MA PhD, DeBeck, Kora, MPP PhD, Kendall, Perry, MD
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Addictions
Adults
Alcohol
Care and treatment
Caregivers
Child welfare
Health aspects
Internal Medicine
Laws, regulations and rules
Legislation
Narcotics
Native peoples
Psychological aspects
Public health
Risk factors
Social services
Substance abuse
Substance abuse treatment
Systematic review
Youth
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Summary:Many who overdose on drugs in British Columbia are youth under the age of 19 years, and calls for "secure care" legislation have intensified. Secure care legislation would legitimize the detention and forced care of youth who are deemed to be at immediate risk of serious physical or psychological harm and is intended as a last-resort mechanism to protect youth who are engaged in high-risk substance use. In Canada, secure care legislation has been enacted in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. However, restricting the liberties of youth to protect them from overdose and other drug-associated harms is a flawed approach and may have unintended consequences. To advocates of secure care, the proposed legislation is viewed as a tool to help youth in crisis who are resisting engagement with health and social services.
ISSN:0820-3946
1488-2329
DOI:10.1503/cmaj.180700