Robert Tanguay, an addictions psychiatrist and clinical assistant professor at the University of Calgary, supports involuntary care under certain conditions but also stressed more voluntary treatment options are needed.

Tanguay was a member of Alberta's Recovery Expert Advisory Panel that helped shape government policy on addiction and mental health care, and said opinions about the efficacy of involuntary care varied.

"The one thing that was all agreed upon is it has to be done compassionately and in the healthcare system, not in the penal system," Tanguay said. "We can't just incarcerate people using drugs."

This makes sense to me.

There's a risk that police will weaponize an ability to commit someone to involuntary rehab. There's a risk that overdoses might go unreported because people want to avoid being committed to a facility. The question is if these risks will be outweighed by any benefits. I think it's unfortunate that these programs aren't being discussed by political parties in practical terms. There's just a lot of handwaving about whether or not it will 'work', and no real discussion of the objectives and expected outcomes.