"I promised the people of New Hampshire that I would stop drugs from pouring into your communities. I am now doubling-down on that promise, and can guarantee you – we will not only stop the drugs from pouring in, but we will help all of those people so seriously addicted get the assistance they need to unchain themselves."
Donald Trump. October 2016


Trump’s new opioids strategy ‘devastates’ advocates

A proposal to slash funding for the drug control office is the latest worrying sign, advocates say.

By DAN DIAMOND 05/05/17 04:50 PM EDT

President Donald Trump campaigned across the country promising to fix the opioid crisis, but public health advocates say his early moves are poised to make it far worse.

The newest development — a proposed 95 percent cut to the office leading the opioid fight — sparked concerns from within the agency and longtime addiction advocates.


"It’s devastating," said Kevin Sabet, who worked in the decades-old Office of National Drug Control Policy, advising the Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama administrations. "It’s the biggest cut I’ve ever seen or had to deal with."

It's the latest item in the Trump agenda that addiction advocates fear would erode the government's ability to fight an epidemic killing more than 47,000 Americans per year. Since taking office, the Trump administration has fought to pass an Obamacare repeal bill that would result in millions more without coverage; fired a surgeon general who led an unprecedented study of the opioid crisis; proposed billions of dollars of cuts to public health funding; and signaled a return to the tough-on-drugs approach to fighting addiction.

“These moves fly in the face of President Trump’s promise to address the nation's opioid epidemic,” said Rafael Lemaitre, who was a senior official with the drug policy office across three administrations. "This is an epidemic that steals as many lives as the Vietnam War took during the entire conflict, and Trump's moves remove some of the most effective tools."

Last edited by Goose (5/06/2017 6:58 am)