Involuntary addict programs compared

AUSTRALIAN STATES RUNNING OR CONSIDERING REHAB PROGRAMS FOR METH ADDICTS

NSW

The NSW government has run the Involuntary Drug and Alcohol Treatment program since 2007. Eligibility criteria include: severe substance dependence; the necessity to treat and control the person to protect them from serious harm; the likelihood the person will benefit from rehabilitation but has refused treatment and no other appropriate means are available. People admitted to the program can be held for up to 28 days on the first referral.

VICTORIA

Similar to the NSW program, Victoria's Severe Substance Dependence Treatment Act, introduced in 2010, legislates for the detention of people with severe drug and alcohol dependence. Applications can be made to the Magistrates Court for a detention and treatment order and the court has the option of ordering a maximum detention up to 14 days.

NORTHERN TERRITORY

If a person is taken into police custody three or more times within a two month period for being drunk in public, they are referred to a mandatory treatment program. The Northern Territory introduced these measures, which exclusively apply to those with an alcohol addiction, in 2013.

TASMANIA/SOUTH AUSTRALIA/QUEENSLAND/ACT

These four states/territories do not have mandatory drug and/or alcohol rehabilitation for those who have not committed a criminal offence. The Tasmanian government began a review of its alcohol and drug dependency legislation in 2012 but no conclusion has yet been reached. In Queensland, involuntary detention of people with drug and alcohol dependency is allowed but only if the person has a mental illness.