The Matthew Casey Wethington Act for Substance Abuse Intervention is named for Matthew Casey Wethington, who died in 2002 from a heroin overdose at the age of 23. The act provides a means of intervening with someone who is unable to recognize his or her need for treatment due to their impairment. This law will allow parents, relatives and/or friends to petition the court for treatment on behalf of the substance abuse-impaired person. Denial and distorted thinking impedes a person’s ability to make a rational decision. The “bottom” for many is death. Addiction is a progressive, life- threatening disease. The best hope of survival for a person who is substance abuse impaired is intervention. Studies show that involuntary treatment can be just as successful as voluntary treatment. Most individuals who are substance abuse- impaired receive court-ordered treatment only after they have become arrested for a crime while under the influence of a substance. Drugs and crime often go hand-in-hand because people who are substance abuse impaired are forced by their disease to resort to any means necessary to procure their drug. Court-ordered treatment can be effective regardless of who initiates it. Not all people who are substance abuse impaired are arrested or, in the event that they are, may not receive the necessary treatment. Casey’s Law was created for families like yours who love someone who with the help of an intervention tool can have the opportunity to recover from and survive the disease of drug and/or alcohol addiction. There is currently almost 7,000 signatures and hopefully more and more to follow. Thank you on behalf of many families in NYS that need this important intervention tool.