Addiction is Hot Topic on Campaign Trail, But Few Candidates Offer Concrete Proposals

Many presidential candidates are talking about addiction, but few are offering concrete proposals to combat it, The Boston Globe reports.

Candidates including Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina and Chris Christie regularly speak of addiction struggles among family members.

“For those candidates, Carly and Jeb and Christie, to say they have these personal stories — fine, we all have these stories. Tell me what you’re going to do. You’re not running to be storyteller-in-chief,” said Patrick Kennedy, a former U.S. representative from Rhode Island who has a personal history of drug and alcohol abuse, and advocates for changing the way addiction is treated in the health care system.”

While Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders called for a radical change in how addiction is treated, he has not explained how he would address the crisis, the article notes. Hillary Clinton announced a $10 billion proposal to treat addiction in September. While she has released the most details about her plan to treat addiction, some advocates describe her five-point plan as a token fix that expands current ineffective strategies.

Christie unveiled a proposal to create a drug court in each federal court district so nonviolent drug offenders could be offered treatment instead of jail. The funds saved by keeping people out of jail would be used to create more treatment programs, he said. Christie’s critics say he has not been effective in treating addiction in New Jersey.

Bush has released a plan that would focus on better parenting and increased border security to reduce drug trafficking. He said he wants to improve prescription drug monitoring and expand drug courts, but has not explained how much the plan would cost or how it would work.

Donald Trump has said he would build a wall along the Mexican border to keep out drugs, while Ohio Governor John Kasich said teachers should provide students with a weekly antidrug message. Fiorina has said the nation needs to invest more in mental health and addiction treatment, but has not provided details.