“We cannot think about ending the AIDS epidemic without addressing directly the substance use disorder (SUD) epidemic in the United States. While opioids have fueled the immediate epidemic of overdose deaths and new HIV infections as a result of needle sharing, we should treat this as a SUD epidemic — whether through opioids, fentanyl or methamphetamine. The HIV outbreak in Scott County, IN was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of communities at risk. I saw at close range the price that is paid by not having comprehensive harm reduction and SUD treatment services.”

2020 Presidential Candidate Questionnaire
AIDS United, 2019 | Pete Buttigieg

“Access to comprehensive health care services that includes … treatment for hepatitis C by assuring broader adoption of Medicaid expansion and through existing networks of safety-net providers.”
2020 Presidential Candidate Questionnaire
AIDS United, 2019 | Pete Buttigieg

“I do believe that…when you have served your sentence, then part of being restored to society is that you are part of the political life of this nation again. And one of the things that needs to be restored is your right to vote. As you know, some states and communities do it, some don’t. I think we’d be a better country if everybody did it. Frankly, I think the motivations for preventing that kind of re-enfranchisement, in some cases, have to do with one side of the aisle noticing that they politically benefit from that. And that’s got some racial layers too.”
Presidential Town Hall with Mayor Pete Buttigieg
CNN, April 22, 2019 | Anderson Cooper

“To ensure that people with a mental illness or substance use disorder can heal, we will decriminalize these conditions.”
HEALING AND BELONGING IN AMERICA: A Plan to Improve Mental Health Care and Combat Addiction
Buttigieg campaign website, 2019

“For years, politicians in Washington have claimed to prioritize mental health care while slashing funding for treatment and ignoring America’s growing addiction and mental health crisis. That neglect must end. Our plan breaks down the barriers around mental health and builds up a sense of belonging that will help millions of suffering Americans heal.”
Democrat Buttigieg wants to save million lives through plan fighting mental health, addiction
Reuters, August 23, 2019 | Tim Reid

“Among the key steps to addressing this joint epidemic are: community based substance use prevention programs that address the social and community determinants of SUD, appropriate monitoring of prescribing practices of clinicians, employing a full range of harm reduction services, including removing restrictions on the use of federal funds for syringe services programs, broad availability of naloxone for overdose reversal — including distribution to users through syringe services programs and community availability on the same level as Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), access to comprehensive health care services from SUD disorder treatment that includes MAT and treatment for hepatitis C by assuring broader adoption of Medicaid expansion and through existing networks of safety-net providers, and a recognition that we also need to more broadly invest in social support services that should surround MAT, akin to the services available for people living with HIV under the Ryan White program.”

“To expand harm reduction services we will remove legislative and regulatory restrictions on the use of federal funds for syringe service programs. Under current law, local authorities have to jump through too many hoops to use federal dollars for operation of SSPs and may not use these funds for the purchase of syringes. These restrictions hamper state and local responses, both because they limit resources and because they convey a negative message about the value of these programs, despite overwhelming scientific evidence that they can prevent transmission of HIV and hepatitis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would also work with states to remove any criminal liability for those participating in SSPs.”

“Expand take-home naloxone programs to all 50 states by 2024 and advance the implementation of harm reduction services to reduce overdose deaths and the spread of infectious diseases related to needle sharing. Harm reduction programs are a critical part of any effective response to the opioid and injection drug use crisis. They minimize the negative impact of drug use without encouraging it, while reducing other side effects of drug use. In particular, this means access to syringe service programs for people who inject drugs, that link them to treatment, and provides access to sterile syringes. These programs help prevent transmission of HIV, viral hepatitis, and other infectious diseases associated with needle sharing, and reduce overdoses by deploying medication such as naloxone that help reverse the effects of opioids.”

“To expand harm reduction services, we will Make naloxone, a drug that can be administered by any individual, broadly available in order to reverse overdoses. This includes expanding federal support for the purchase of naloxone by state and local health departments, assuring it is widely available in public spaces and workplaces in a similar way (and in conjunction with) first aid kits and Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), and encouraging co-prescribing of naloxone with opioids, either by individual physicians or direct dispensing by pharmacists.”