One of the issues discussed during the Democratic debate held on Saturday was the addiction to heroin and opioid. Bernie Sanders asks for a "radical" change, when it comes to the country's approach to drug addiction.

Each candidate for the American presidency shared his or her thoughts on the increasing rate of heroin addiction. Sanders, one of the aspiring United State presidents for the 2016 elections, noted that it is a "disease" and "not a criminal activity," Time reported.

As for the change needed to combat this drug addiction, Sanders said that medical professionals, the pharmaceutical community and the entire healthcare community in general should start "getting their act together." This is in terms of giving opioid prescriptions as well as "addressing issues of mental health and addiction," Time further noted.

Watch Sanders as he talked about the issue of heroin and opiates drug addiction in the video below, as posted by Black Hawk on YouTube.

The official website for the Center for Disease Control and Protection cited that the use of heroin in America has increased among both genders, among all income levels and in most age groups. Particularly, statistics revealed that "heroin use more than doubled among young adults aged 18-25 in the past decade."

Furthermore, nine out of 10 people using heroin are also using at least one other drug. The statistics also showed that 45% of those using heroin are also addicted to opioid painkillers.

An overdose of heroin, an illegal and highly addictive opioid drug, can "cause slow and shallow breathing, coma and death," the CDC site also noted. With the increasing rate of heroin addition, overdose deaths related to heroin addiction also increased.

"Between 2002 and 2013, the rate of heroin-related overdose deaths nearly quadrupled, and more than 8,200 people died in 2013," the website noted.

Meanwhile, US presidential candidates Martin O'Malley and Hillary Clinton also shared their thoughts on the issue. Being a former mayor of Baltimore, a city frequently referred to as the "heroin capital" of the country, O'Malley talked about his experiences and recalled overdoses experienced by his close friends and relatives.

Clinton, on the other hand, said that she has talked about the issue on drug addiction in town halls, where she provided a "five-point plan" to better manage this country-wide problem.

Saturday night's debate was the third for the presidential candidates. It was held in Manchester, New Hampshire and sponsored by ABC News, as well as the New Hampshire Democratic Party, News Day noted.