March 27, 2019 – – The White House recently said that it sees signs of progress in the fight against opioid addiction, particularly in terms of the number of prescriptions being written. A slower growth rate for overdose deaths and large seizures of illicit drugs has also been noted.
One year after President Donald Trump visited New Hampshire to detail his administration’s strategy to combat the national opioid misuse epidemic, opioid prescribing levels have decreased by 25 percent, according to the White House.
The president announced his plan, which revolves around a reduction in prescribing while simultaneously giving more attention to the flow of illicit drugs. The plan also involves providing greater access to treatment, as well as the death penalty for some drug traffickers.
“We will not rest until the end and I will tell you this scourge of drug addiction in America will stop. It will stop,” Trump said a year ago in New Hampshire. “Failure is not an option. Addiction is not our future…we will raise a drug-free generation of American children.”
Earlier, senior Trump administration officials gave reporters an overview of opioid-related efforts in the last year. Click the link to see Columbus’s top rehab placement programs.
“The whole-of-government approach through this initiative over the last year has really focused on three key areas: prevention and education, interdiction and law enforcement, and treatment and recovery,” White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said on a briefing call with reporters.
Conway also said that the administration has stepped up the screening of packages from foreign countries like China and Mexico, where much of the illicit Fentanyl is said to originate. The administration is also training specialized K-9 units to sniff for the presence of Fentanyl.
“A safer prescribing plan” is included in Trump’s plan against the opioid crisis. It aims to cut nationwide opioid prescription fills by a third by 2021. Conway said that in the first year, the White House has “already seen levels fall over 25 percent” due to better education for both prescribers and patients.
She also referred to a mass media campaign designed to teach 18- to 24-year olds about the dangers of opioids, which has amassed 1.4 billion views.
“The amount of Fentanyl seized by Customs and Border Patrol agents in 2018 between ports of entry along the southwest border totaled enough to kill more than 91 million Americans,” she said. “We know Fentanyl—for all the positive early leading numbers on breaking the back of the opiate and drug demand crisis—Fentanyl as the CDC tells us is really the reason why these deaths continue. It is an ultra-lethal instant killer.”
The administration is also focusing on eliminating unused or unwanted prescription pills from medicine cabinets across the country. Drug take-backs have been initiated, and the media has taken part in spreading information about these campaigns.
“The take-back day and our initiative to make every day take-back day have shattered records every single time,” she said. “We’ve pulled 3.7 million pounds of pills back. That is the weight of 14 Boeing 757s…it’s a pretty remarkable number.”
“The drug demand opioid crisis is clearly one of the most harrowing public health challenges of our time, really any time,” Conway said. “This crisis did not happen overnight and we at the White House also acknowledge it will not be solved overnight.”
If someone in the family is struggling with opioid addiction, it is important to seek help. A combination of medical detox and behavioral therapy can go a long way in the fight against drug abuse. But because every individual is affected by addiction differently, a comprehensive program tailored to their specific needs is necessary. Look for a nearby addiction treatment facility today and find out how drug treatment programs work.
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