Drug Rehab Solutions

If you are certain your son or daughter needs to get treatment for substance abuse but they refuse to voluntarily go into a drug treatment facility, you may be able to use the Marchman Act. The Marchman Act of Florida basically provides for involuntary admission into substance abuse treatment if the person in question is impaired and lack self control as it pertains to their addiction and substance abuse and also if he or she has threatened harm to themselves or others.

According to the state of Florida, “In addition to a law enforcement officer’s authority to implement protective custody, a private practitioner, the persons spouse or relative of the person, the director of a licensed service provider or the directors designee, three responsible adults who have personal knowledge of the persons substance abuse problem or, in the case of a minor, the minor’s parents, legal guardian, legal custodian, or a licensed service provider can file an involuntary Marchman Act petition.” (dcf.state.fl.us, 2011) This means as a parent, you certainly can be the one to file for your son or daughter to go to treatment under the Marchman Act.

You will need to contact the substance abuse facility of your choosing and confirm availability of a bed for your son or daughter to ensure they can enter treatment once the petition of the Marchman Act has been approved. The last thing you want is for everything to be approved in court and then have to scramble at the last minute for a facility that can take your son or daughter into treatment. In order to file, you will need to bring identification along with the location where your son or daughter can be found by law enforcement to be transported to the treatment center.

You can expect to have a hearing within ten days of filing the petition and once it goes through, your son or daughter can be held up to five days to be stabilized and evaluated. Hopefully during this time, he or she will agree to stay in the facility for the duration of a treatment program which is usually up to 30 days.

The situation is not hopeless and due to the Marchman Act you may be able to get your son or daughter to live a drug free life with a bit of effort, time and support on your part.

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