Subject: 09.02.15 Initiative to Address Substance Abuse TP's
From: Adrienne Elrod <[email-masked]>
To: Adrienne Elrod <[email-masked]>
Cc: Alexandria Phillips <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 2015 13:50:29 -0400
List-Id: <toptalkers.hillaryclinton.com>

*Friends –*

*Hillary Clinton is rolling out her initiative to address drug and alcohol
addiction today. *

*The following op-ed ran in today’s Union Leader, and attached are talking
points that provide more detailed guidance on her plan.*

*In addition, we encourage you to check out Clinton’s Instagram
<https://instagram.com/hillaryclinton/> and Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/hillaryclinton> pages, **where *throughout the
day ​*people who have or are currently struggling with drug addiction will
share their stories.*

*Thanks -*

*Adrienne*

*Union Leader: Another View -- Hillary Clinton: How we can win the fight
against substance abuse*
http://www.unionleader.com/article/20150901/OPINION02/150909909/1004/opinion

By HILLARY CLINTON

ON MY first trip to New Hampshire this spring, a retired doctor spoke up. I
had just announced I was running for President, and I had traveled to Iowa
and New Hampshire to hear from voters about their concerns, their hopes and
their vision for the future. He said his biggest worry was the rising tide
of heroin addiction in the state, following a wave of prescription drug
abuse.

To be candid, I didn’t expect what came next. In state after state, this
issue came up again and again — from so many people, from all walks of
life, in small towns and big cities.

In Iowa, from Davenport to Council Bluffs, people talked about meth and
prescription drugs. In South Carolina, a lawyer spoke movingly about the
holes in the community left by generations of African American men
imprisoned for nonviolent drug offenses, rather than getting the treatment
they needed.

These stories shine light on some harrowing statistics. Twenty-three
million Americans suffer from addiction, but only 1 in 10 get treatment.
Fifty-two million Americans over 12 have misused prescription drugs at some
point, including one in four teenagers. In 2013, more Americans died from
overdoses than car crashes.

This is not new. We’re not just now “discovering” this problem. 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.

It’s time we recognize that there are gaps in our health care system that
allow too many to go without care — and invest in treatment. It’s time we
recognize that our state and federal prisons, where 65 percent of inmates
meet medical criteria for substance use disorders, are no substitute for
proper treatment — and reform our criminal justice system.

Today I’m releasing a strategy to confront the drug and alcohol addiction
crisis. My plan sets five goals: empower communities to prevent drug use
among teenagers; ensure every person suffering from addiction can obtain
comprehensive treatment; ensure that all first responders carry naloxone,
which can stop overdoses from becoming fatal; require health care providers
to receive training in recognizing substance use disorders and to consult a
prescription drug monitoring program before prescribing controlled
substances; and prioritize treatment over prison for low-level and
nonviolent drug offenders, so we can end the era of mass incarceration.

Achieving these goals won’t be easy. It will take commitment from all
corners — law enforcement, doctors, insurance companies and government at
every level. That’s why my plan starts by partnering with states and
communities across America to meet these goals and substantially expand
access to treatment. We’ll ask states to design ambitious plans using the
programs that make most sense for their communities’ needs. In return for
strong proposals to address the substance abuse crisis, the federal
government will draw on a new $7.5 billion fund to help states meet their
goals.

My plan would also increase access to treatment by boosting funding for the
Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant by 25 percent, so
communities have more resources to work with immediately. I will ensure
that existing federal insurance parity laws are enforced. I will direct the
government to reevaluate Medicare and Medicaid payment practices, to remove
obstacles to reimbursement and help integrate care for addiction into
standard practice. And for those who commit low-level, nonviolent drug
offenses, I will reorient our federal criminal justice resources away from
more incarceration and toward treatment and rehabilitation. Many states are
already charting this course — I will challenge the rest to do the same.

Every town and city I’ve visited so far in this campaign has stories of
families upended by drug addiction. But I’ve also heard about second
chances. The young mother who overcame her addiction to alcohol and heroin
so her son would never see her with a drink or a drug. The man who served
11 years in prison who is now serving others through a prison ministry.

They all say the same thing: No matter how much time has passed, they’re
all still in recovery. It’s a process — one that began when a family
member, a friend, a doctor, or a police officer extended a hand to help. As
one New Hampshire woman said, “We’re not bad people trying to get good,
we’re sick people that deserve to get well.”

There are 23 million Americans suffering from addiction. But no one is
untouched. We all have family and friends who are affected. We can’t afford
to stay on the sidelines any longer — because when families are strong,
America is strong. Through improved treatment, prevention, and training, we
can end this quiet epidemic once and for all.

*Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is running for the Democratic
nomination for President.*

-- 

Adrienne K. Elrod
Spokesperson
Hillary For America
*www.hillaryclinton.com <http://www.hillaryclinton.com>*
@adrienneelrod

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