Pennsylvania House Bill 1692 will allow for involuntary treatment requirements and procedures for individuals suffering from alcohol and drug abuse. This legislation is based on the Ohio "Casey's" Law. Pennsylvania HB 1692 will provide 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. This legislation is desperately needed in Pennsylvania due to the rapidly growing substance abuse epidemic & the overwhelming number of tragic deaths resulting from drug overdoses. Getting this law passed in Pennsylvania is especially important to me. I lost my brother, Joseph Johnstone, on January 28, 2016. He was only 28 years old. He struggled for many years with addiction but was in recovery for 2 years before he fell back into drugs. Although my family & I saw signs of his recurring drug abuse, Joseph would never admit he had relapsed. My family and I were unable to do anything to help my brother and only could watch him self destruct. Under our current laws, we were left utterly helpless. All we could do was pray Joseph would eventually get to a point where he would realize he had a problem & make the conscious decision to go back into a treatment program. However, under the influence & control of the drugs, he was unable to think rationally. My brother was essentially mentally incapacitated as a result of his drug abuse. That being said, it makes no sense that those suffering from addiction, under our current laws, can not be involuntarily sent to a treatment program. It's catch-22 situation. There is scientific evidence proving that when addicted to drugs or alcohol, one's brain chemistry becomes altered and/or changed. An addict becomes a totally different person than who they were prior to their drug/alcohol abuse. Their behavior, their actions, their beliefs/morals, their personality, their whole way of thinking, etc. is altered. Those of us who have had the unfortunate experience a loved one having an addiction know this all too well to be true; we witnessed their metamorphosis. Please sign this petition and pass it along to everyone you know, regardless of whether or not addiction has affected them personally. Your support is needed and will be greatly appreciated by all who have ever had a loved one struggle with addiction. Unfortunately, it's too late for my brother. His battle with addiction is over, but, as I write this, there are so many others out there, just like my brother, who can be saved if Pennsylvania House Bill 1692 is passed & becomes a law. I hope in the future, there are less families burying their addicted loved ones and more families celebrating recovery! In Loving Memory of Joseph Peter Johnstone 4/17/1987 - 1/28/2016