Hillary Clinton proposed a $10 billion program Wednesday to combat drug and alcohol addiction, a “national epidemic” that “our nation is failing to address.”
The Democratic front-runner says that on the campaign trail she was surprised by the number of people she met who suffered from drug or alcohol addiction, especially dependence on prescription drugs. She lamented that while 23 million people suffer from addiction, only one in ten receive treatment, adding that in 2013 more Americans died from overdoses than car accidents.
In American prisons, she says, 65 percent of inmates qualify for substance use disorders but do not receive any help. Clinton called for a change in this “gap in our health care system” and proposed a multi-billion, five pillar plan to turn it around.
“We’re not just now ‘discovering’ this problem,” Clinton said in an op-ed to the New Hampshire Union Leader. “But, we should be saying enough is enough. It’s time we recognize as a nation that for too long, we have had a quiet epidemic on our hands. Plain and simple, drug and alcohol addiction is a disease, not a moral failing — and we must treat it as such.”
Clinton says she would help communities prevent drug use among teenagers and ensure every person suffering from addiction can obtain comprehensive treatment. She also proposed having all first responders carry naloxone, a drug that can stop overdoses from becoming fatal, and requiring health care providers to receive training in substance use disorders.
Clinton also recommended prioritizing treatment over prison for nonviolent or low-level drug offenders.
The plan would dedicate $7.5 billion to support new federal-state partnerships over the next ten years as well as $2.5 billion on immediate federal action, such as enhancing access to treatment, make sure insurance providers are complying and promoting better prescriber practices.
A large part of Clinton’s platform is limiting incarceration of minor offenders. Her campaign says that by lessening incarceration levels, she will be able to fund the expensive plan.
Clinton isn’t the only candidate talking about drug addiction on the campaign trail. Jeb Bush’s wife Columba has long been an activist for substance abuse treatment and GOP primary candidate Chris Christie released a video about the issue on Wednesday as well.
