Tool of last resort (Canada)

The Doer government tabled legislation this week that will allow parents to force their drug-addicted children into detoxification centres. It's a tool of last resort for parents who have nowhere else to turn if their children are addicted to a drug that has taken over their lives.

We support the initiative because, in some cases, it can help drug-addicted youths turn their lives around.

The new law will allow parents to put their children in a stabilization facility for seven days.

It's not addiction treatment. Rather, it's a way of getting the youth off drugs long enough to get them to think straight so they may consider voluntary treatment.

Too often parents who try to get their kids into treatment can't because their child's judgment is clouded by chronic drug use.

Giving parents the power to put their children into a detoxification centre at least gives them a chance of breaking the cycle long enough to consider long-term help.

We often demand that people taking responsibility for themselves and their children. This is one way of helping parents do just that.

The seriousness of drug addiction among youth has grown in recent years with the addition of crack cocaine and crystal meth -- both highly addictive substances -- as drugs of choice among teens.

http://winnipegsun.com/Comment/Editorial/2006/04/14/1534131.html