Casey's Law refers to the Matthew Casey Wethington Act for Substance
Abuse Intervention. Also known as the Heroin Bill, the law became
effective in Kentucky in 2004 and was inspired by Casey
Wethington's death of a heroin overdose at the age of 23.
The law allows the parents, relatives, or friends of an addicted
person to lawfully intervene and request involuntary court-ordered
addiction treatment for their addicted loved one.
The steps
are as follows:
- The
petitioner must complete the
petition
- The
petitioner will file the completed petition with the Circuit
Court Clerk in their county
- The court
will then review the petition and make a decision on it's
merit
- If the
court finds there is probable cause to proceed with the
process, the addicted person will be notified and a hearing
will be scheduled within 14 days
- The
addicted person will be assesed by two healthcare
professionals, one of which must be a physician
- Following
the hearing, the court will decide whether or not the addicted
person must complete involuntary addiction treatment of 60 or
up to 360 days
- The
petitioner will be responsible for locating a treatment
facility and paying for the treatment (if applicable) as well
as transportation costs
Copies of the
forms necessary to start this process can be obtained at the Pulaski
County Circuit Court Clerk in the Pulaski County Judicial Center
Complex. If you need assistance after business hours, the Sheriff's
Office will be happy to assist.
For additional
information, visit the Casey's Law web site at:
http://caseyslaw.org/KY_Files/About.htm
Click here
for a copy of the Kentucky Revised Statute and description of the
law.
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