Alberta Moves Ahead With Planned Involuntary Addiction Treatment Law

Alberta Moves Ahead With Planned Involuntary Addiction Treatment Law
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks at a press conference in Edmonton on April 15, 2025. Alberta Government/Handout photo
Carolina Avendano
Updated:

The Alberta government has introduced legislation this week that seeks to compel people with serious substance addictions to undergo involuntary treatment.

Bill 53, also known as the Compassionate Intervention Act, was presented in the provincial legislature on April 15. The first of its kind in the country, the act would allow relatives, guardians, health-care professionals, or police officers to request an addiction treatment order for people who are “likely to cause harm to themselves or others as a result of their addiction or substance use.”