NYC Mayor Eric Adams Proposes Law To Involuntarily Commit Drug Addicts

New York City Mayor Eric Adams proposed a new law on Thursday that would make it easier to get drug addicts safely off the streets and into treatment.

The “Compassionate Interventions Act” would allow doctors to involuntarily commit drug addicts in New York City.

If the law passes, a doctor would be able to bring someone “who appears to pose a danger to themselves or others due to substance use” to a hospital and allow a judge to mandate treatment if the person is unwilling to enter treatment voluntarily.

Public drug use on city streets “degrades quality of life and leaves a feeling of disorder among many city residents,” Adams’ office said in a press release.

Today, we’re launching our ‘End Culture of Anything Goes’ campaign to improve quality of life and support all those struggling on our streets.

We’ve made great strides to change the culture and laws preventing people with severe mental illness from getting the help they needed. pic.twitter.com/bnuPywvBzd

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) August 11, 2025

A total of 37 other states allow drug addicts to be involuntarily committed.

“While we have made our system work better to address severe mental illness and homelessness, we often hear from New Yorkers that there are still too many people in need of help,” Adams said in a statement.

This week, Adams launched his “End Culture of Anything Goes” campaign aimed at cracking down on drugs and homelessness in the Big Apple.

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“Our administration refuses to turn our backs on New Yorkers in need, and with today’s announcement, we’re laying out a vision that will help get everyone the support they need. In the name of public safety, public health, and the public interest, we must rally to help those in crisis because ‘anything goes’ is worse than nothing at all,” the mayor said.

Also on Thursday, Adams announced he would invest another $27 million in substance abuse treatment, including more teams on the ground that engage with drug addicts and new programs to help people finish treatment once they start.

New York City struggles with pockets of drug addiction, such as “The Hub” in the Bronx.

The South Bronx area around Roberto Clemente Plaza is home to harrowing scenes of dozens of drug addicts shooting up in public, sometimes spilling blood onto the sidewalk, then tweaking and standing doubled over while drug dealers sell their wares brazenly in broad daylight nearby, all while trash and needles pile up.

A total of 366 “active substance users” were recorded last fall when the NYPD, sanitation workers, and health department workers teamed up to try to clean up “The Hub.”

The city teams arrested 35 people and put 47 people in homeless shelters, but the area remains a hot spot for public drug use to this day.