Addiction and substance use

Note: This page is a reproduction of the Hillary for America policy proposal on addiction and substance use. 

Nearly 23 million Americans suffer from a substance use disorder, yet only about one in 10 receive treatment. Addiction and substance use disorders touch the lives of people in big cities and small towns, across every income level. We can’t arrest or incarcerate our way out of it—we need a new approach. That’s why Hillary Clinton is proposing a bold plan to prevent and treat addiction, support people in recovery, and take on this epidemic once and for all. Hillary will launch a $7.5 billion fund to support new federal-state partnerships that empower local leaders to implement programs that work for their communities.

As president, Hillary will focus on:

• Prevention: Let’s empower communities to implement programs to teach adolescents about drug use and addiction.
• Treatment and recovery: Substance use disorders are chronic diseases, and recovery is only possible through effective and ongoing care—not neglect or stigmatization. Everyone who needs treatment and ongoing support should be able to get it. We should invest in and empower our recovery community organizations.
• First responders: All first responders should have access to naloxone, a drug that can prevent opioid overdoses from becoming fatal.
• Prescribers: Drug prescribers will have to meet standards for training and go through a prescription drug monitoring program before writing a prescription for controlled medications.
• Criminal justice reform: Let’s prioritize rehabilitation and treatment over prison for low-level and nonviolent drug offenses and work to end the era of mass incarceration.