Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton would launch a $10 billion initiative to tackle drug and alcohol addiction, a problem she speaks of often on the campaign trail and which affects 23 million Americans.

At an Iowa event last week, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stood in front of a barn as the sun set and told the crowd there to see Clinton that he wanted to get “very personal” about why he endorsed her. Vilsack said his mother abused prescription drugs and walked out when he was young. “But no one is untouched”, Clinton wrote in her op-ed Wednesday.

Mental health and addiction have been a major part of Clinton’s presidential platform. “I’m heartened that her initiative will empower the countless local leaders who are fighting this crisis through education, drug courts, and treatment programs by giving them the resources they need to combat this epidemic”.

“To be candid, I didn’t expect what came next”, Clinton wrote in the piece posted late on Tuesday.

“What struck me was how impacted she was by the stories she heard”, Vilsack said of Clinton.

“For those whose lives we have a chance to save, I want us to try to save those lives”, Christie says in the ad. “Because I believe every one of those lives is a precious gift from God”.

Twenty-three million Americans suffer from addiction, but only 1 in 10 get treatment… Currently, we have a draconian system that punishes and marginalizes the disease of addiction.

People with addiction have found that treatment facilities are full and insurance companies won’t cover the cost. Further, her proposal would require licensed prescribers to undergo more training in identifying addiction and prioritize rehabilitation over prison for low-level and nonviolent drug offenses. “It’s time we recognize as a nation that for too long, we have had a quiet epidemic on our hands”. 

The other $2.5 billion would go to increasing the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant by 15 percent over ten years. “Better school and community-based prevention programs, increased funding to immediately expand in- and out-patient care options, and improved prescriber practices in Medicare and the Veterans Administration are components of her plan that would strengthen our resources in Nevada”.