Recently my family received the dreaded phone call. We lost my nephew at the young age of 31 to a drug overdose. We fought this battle for many years. Every time we tried to get help from the doctors to the courts etc... we were told because he is of age there was nothing we could do, unless he wanted help. After multiple suicide attempts, and drug overdoses, car accidents, down to health issues ie: Endocarditis MRSA of the heart and lungs, surgery, to being on a ventilator. My nephew was able to walk out of the hospital AMA because "he was of age and in his right mind" That was far from the truth it was obvious he was not in his right mind he suffered from mental issues from a very young age, possible oxygen deprivation at birth. People who suffer from drug addiction usually suffer from some sort of mental illness. This is the need for self medication. I feel that the law needs to change and that the family should be given the right to make those decisions of medical care or having our loved ones committed without having to get a lawyer to fight it which most people can not afford.  There are multiple deaths daily due to this beast they call drug addiction and something needs to change. How many more lives do we need to lose? This is an issue across the board for families community and hospitals. As with any of us preventative maintenance is the key to good health and those that suffer with addiction are not capable of making decisions to maintain or better their health. Drug addiction affects us all leading to crowded hospitals crime and broken families.