Issue Position: JB's Plan for the Opioid Epidemic

Issue Position

There is an opioid crisis in Illinois that is ending too many lives and devastating too many families. This crisis is only getting worse, with a 44.3 percent increase in drug-related overdoses from 2013 to 2016. Last year, there were 2,278 drug-related deaths in Illinois, and over 80 percent of drug overdoses are now caused by opioids. The super-opiate, Fentanyl, took 562 lives in Cook County alone in 2016, up from 20 in 2014.

Unfortunately, Governor Bruce Rauner is once again failing to lead. In 2015, bipartisan members of the General Assembly came together to pass the Heroin Crisis Act, a forward-thinking and comprehensive bill to combat the epidemic. Rauner vetoed the bill -- forcing legislators to override his veto -- the only override of that legislative session.

Rauner also proposed slashing funding for addiction treatment by 20 percent, with Illinois already in the bottom three states for providing publicly funded addiction treatment. Rauner's 736-day manufactured budget crisis made the problem worse, devastating the state's addiction and mental health treatment services and forcing 27 public health departments to reduce staff or services. All the while, Illinois' opioid crisis spiraled out of control.

We can't afford to ignore this crisis. We need a governor who will recognize this emergency and prioritize addressing it.

My plan is focused on six key priorities:

Focus on Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Prevention and Education.
Reduce the Risks of Prescription Opioids.
Remove Barriers to Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery.
Work with the Criminal Justice System to Prioritize Treatment Over Incarceration.
Ensure Health Insurance Companies Cover Addiction Treatment Fairly.
Leverage Federal Funding Opportunities to Fight the Opioid Epidemic Locally.

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