Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Close After Funding Cut, in Blow to Local Media

22 hours ago

‘Freedom Week’: California Gun Owners Rush to Buy Ammo After Court Ruling

1 day ago

Wall Street Selloff Sparked by Trump Tariffs, Amazon Results, Weak Payrolls

1 day ago

US Construction Spending Extends Decline in June

1 day ago

Global Shares in Red After US Jobs Data, Trump’s Tariff Salvo

1 day ago

Construction of $200M Trump Ballroom at the White House to Begin in September

2 days ago

US Senate Committee Backs $1 Billion for Ukraine in Pentagon Spending Bill

2 days ago

Trump Says Mexico Trade Deal Extended for 90 Days

2 days ago

Fresno Unified Trustee Susan Wittrup Responds to $162,000 Payout

3 days ago
New CA Law Allows Courts to Mandate Rehab for Drug Addicts, Sparks Civil Rights Concerns
By admin
Published 2 years ago on
October 13, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

California has enacted a new law that permits the state to mandate drug addicts to undergo rehabilitation, a move that critics argue infringes on civil liberties and could potentially worsen the overdose crisis. Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed Senate Bill 43, which broadens the state’s conservatorship laws to include compulsory rehab for individuals who cannot provide for their basic needs due to severe substance abuse or serious mental health conditions.

Previously, conservatorship was only applicable to individuals with mental health disorders. However, the new law extends this to those suffering from drug or alcohol addiction, even in the absence of a concurrent mental health condition. Conservatorship is a legal procedure where a court can assign a third party, such as a family member, to oversee an individual’s care, including commitment to mental health facilities.

Newsom’s office stated that conservatorship could help break the cycle of repeated crises, including arrest, imprisonment, psychiatric hospitalization, homelessness, and premature death, and instead provide care that can restore mental health and end the conservatorship. However, critics argue that conservatorships, which strip individuals of their autonomy in making care decisions, can lead to abuse.

The new law also allows the state to pilot “secured residential treatment” in Sacramento and Yolo Counties, offering individuals convicted of drug-related crimes a choice between jail time or a locked rehab facility. However, Jeannette Zanipatin, California director for the Drug Policy Alliance, argues that the laws contradict evidence showing that forced treatment is ineffective and can increase the risk of overdose.

California is now among 38 states that permit some form of involuntary drug treatment. This is a significant shift, given that the state accounts for 30% of the unhoused population in the U.S. Zanipatin expressed disappointment with the new measures, particularly as Newsom vetoed a bill in 2022 that would have allowed safe drug consumption sites in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oakland.

Read more at Vice.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Willow the Streetwise Poodle Mix Gets a Second Chance

DON'T MISS

Newsom Wants Voters to Weigh In on New Congressional Districts in November

DON'T MISS

Kia America Recalls 201,149 US Telluride Vehicles

DON'T MISS

US Reviewing Visa Denial for Venezuelan Little League Players, State Department Says

DON'T MISS

Hamas Says It Won’t Disarm Unless Independent Palestinian State Established

DON'T MISS

Gifford Fire Spreads Rapidly Across Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo Counties

DON'T MISS

Fresno Donates Firefighting Gear to Sister City Guadalajara

DON'T MISS

Corruption Scandal Puts Mexico’s President on Defense Against Trump

DON'T MISS

US Judges Speak Out About Death Threats, ‘Swattings,’ and ‘Pizza Doxings’

DON'T MISS

It’s Raining Cash for Some 2026 Fresno City Council Hopefuls

UP NEXT

Newsom Wants Voters to Weigh In on New Congressional Districts in November

UP NEXT

Kia America Recalls 201,149 US Telluride Vehicles

UP NEXT

US Reviewing Visa Denial for Venezuelan Little League Players, State Department Says

UP NEXT

Hamas Says It Won’t Disarm Unless Independent Palestinian State Established

UP NEXT

Gifford Fire Spreads Rapidly Across Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo Counties

UP NEXT

Fresno Donates Firefighting Gear to Sister City Guadalajara

UP NEXT

Corruption Scandal Puts Mexico’s President on Defense Against Trump

UP NEXT

It’s Raining Cash for Some 2026 Fresno City Council Hopefuls

UP NEXT

Fresno County Finds E. Coli at Avocado Lake. Don’t Swim There

UP NEXT

Trump Fires US Labor Department’s Statistical Leader After Weaker Than Expected Jobs Report

US Reviewing Visa Denial for Venezuelan Little League Players, State Department Says

1 hour ago

Hamas Says It Won’t Disarm Unless Independent Palestinian State Established

1 hour ago

Gifford Fire Spreads Rapidly Across Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo Counties

1 hour ago

Fresno Donates Firefighting Gear to Sister City Guadalajara

2 hours ago

Corruption Scandal Puts Mexico’s President on Defense Against Trump

2 hours ago

US Judges Speak Out About Death Threats, ‘Swattings,’ and ‘Pizza Doxings’

19 hours ago

It’s Raining Cash for Some 2026 Fresno City Council Hopefuls

20 hours ago

Fresno County Finds E. Coli at Avocado Lake. Don’t Swim There

21 hours ago

Trump Fires US Labor Department’s Statistical Leader After Weaker Than Expected Jobs Report

21 hours ago

Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Close After Funding Cut, in Blow to Local Media

22 hours ago

Willow the Streetwise Poodle Mix Gets a Second Chance

After more than half a year living on the streets — surviving on cat food and the kindness of strangers — a scruffy little poodle mix named ...

24 minutes ago

After surviving more than six months alone on the streets, a 15-pound poodle mix named Willow is now safe and learning to trust humans again. (Mell's Mutts)
24 minutes ago

Willow the Streetwise Poodle Mix Gets a Second Chance

California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks to the press after a hearing on the use of National Guard troops amid federal immigration sweeps, at the California State Supreme Court in San Francisco, California, U.S., June 12, 2025. (Reuters FIle)
59 minutes ago

Newsom Wants Voters to Weigh In on New Congressional Districts in November

2025 Kia Telluride is displayed during the Los Angeles Auto Show, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., November 21, 2024. (Reuters File)
1 hour ago

Kia America Recalls 201,149 US Telluride Vehicles

Venezuelan baseball player Abraham Gutierrez, a member of Cacique Mara, a baseball youth team that will not be participating in the 2025 Little League World Series after their U.S. visa was denied, prepares for a practice session in Maracaibo, Venezuela, August 1, 2025. REUTERS/Gaby Oraa TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
1 hour ago

US Reviewing Visa Denial for Venezuelan Little League Players, State Department Says

Palestinians climb onto trucks as they seek for aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, August 1, 2025. (Reuters File)
1 hour ago

Hamas Says It Won’t Disarm Unless Independent Palestinian State Established

The Gifford Fire has burned 12,400 acres northeast of Santa Maria with 5% containment as of Saturday, August 2, 2025, morning. (CalFire)
1 hour ago

Gifford Fire Spreads Rapidly Across Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo Counties

The Fresno Fire Department donates 17 pallets of firefighting equipment to its sister city Guadalajara, Mexico, to support first responders and strengthen international ties. (Fresno FD)
2 hours ago

Fresno Donates Firefighting Gear to Sister City Guadalajara

Members of the Mexican Navy Stand Guard at a Crime Scene
2 hours ago

Corruption Scandal Puts Mexico’s President on Defense Against Trump

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend