In a New Hampshire Union Leader op-ed published on Tuesday, Sept. 1, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton proposed using a $7.5 billion federal fund to combat drug addiction in the United States.

The plan lists several goals to achieve drug addiction and criminal justice reform. Five goals she proposed include empowering communities to prevent drug use among teenagers, ensuring comprehensive treatment for addicts, providing all emergency responders with naloxone to help stop fatal overdoses, requiring health care providers to receive substance use disorder training that ebbs away from prescribing controlled substances, and prioritizing treatment over incarceration for low-level and nonviolent drug offenders.

Clinton says that her plan came into focus after hearing voter concerns on the campaign trail. 

“There are 23 million Americans suffering from addiction,” Clinton wrote. “But no one is untouched. We all have family and friends who are affected.” 

The announced plan coincides with September as National Addiction Recovery Month. Many organizations similarly addressed drug addiction near the beginning of the concomitant month — the U.S. Center for Disease Control, however, released a report on heroin overdoses earlier in June.

U.S. Center for Disease Control

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints recently released a series of web videos called “12 steps to change” to help addicts overcome drug habits. The videos reflect the Church’s pre-existing 12-step program to addiction recovery and were produced in collaboration with LDS Family Services, the Church’s Welfare Department and the Mormon Channel.

The conversation on drug addiction is not limited to illegal drugs: one Utah group held a rally at the Utah State Capitol Building Monday, Aug. 31, to cry against overdose deaths by opioids, which include prescription drugs as well as heroin.

Some individuals similarly worried that drug addiction could be exacerbated due to a recent decision by the FDA, which in August approved the use of OxyContin for pain relief in children as young as 11. Although doctors who treat children with terminal cancer approved the decision, others were wary that prescribing the powerful opiate drug to kids with short-term medical needs could put them at risk for addiction.

Although addiction recovery from drugs and alcohol has recently achieved national attention, Clinton described the issue of addiction as an epidemic years in the making.

“It’s time we recognize as a nation that for too long, we have had a quiet epidemic on our hands,” Clinton wrote. “Plain and simple, drug and alcohol addiction is a disease, not a moral failing.”

Contact reporter Taylor Hintz at 801-625-4231 or thintz@standard.net. Follow on Twitter @TaylorHintz.