To support the new policy, the Obama administration has requested over $10 billion to support drug education programs and support for expanding access to drug treatment for people suffering from substance use disorders.
The new policy is aimed at branching out of what the administration calls former drug policy successes, including the controversial Affordable Care Act. Under the act, insurers would be required to cover substance abuse treatment in the same way they would cover other chronic disease treatment.
Changes implemented by the Affordable Care Act don't go into effect until 2014, however the Supreme Court is currently deciding if the law is constitutional.
