Canadian provinces seek to treat more drug users against their will

A view of the Alouette Correctional Centre, the site of a planned regional mental health facility with involuntary care for those with mental health and addiction issues, in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada September 20, 2024. REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier

TORONTO (Reuters) - With illicit drug use, homelessness and untreated mental illness reaching a crisis in parts of Canada, the governments of at least three provinces want to treat more people against their will, even as some health experts warn involuntary care for drug use can be ineffective and harmful.

This month, British Columbia's premier, whose party is in a tight race for reelection in the province, said his government would expand involuntary treatment for people dealing with mental illness combined with addiction and brain injuries due to overdose. Some would be held in a repurposed jail.