In ringing and personal terms, US President Donald Trump on Thursday pledged that “we will overcome addiction in America,” declaring opioid abuse a national public health emergency and announcing new steps to combat what he described as the worst drug crisis in US history.
Trump’s declaration, which will be in effect for 90 days and can be renewed, allows the government to redirect resources in various ways and to expand access to medical services in rural areas, but it would not bring new dollars to fight a scourge that kills nearly 100 people a day.
“As Americans we cannot allow this to continue,” Trump said in a speech at the White House, where he bemoaned an epidemic he said had spared no segment of society, affecting rural areas and cities, rich and poor, and both the elderly and newborns.
“It is time to liberate our communities from this scourge of drug addiction,” he said. “We can be the generation that ends the opioid epidemic.”
Deaths have surged from opioids, which include some prescribed painkillers, heroin and synthetic drugs such as fentanyl, often sold on the nation’s streets.
Administration officials said they would also urge US Congress, during end-of-the year budget negotiations, to add new cash to a public health emergency fund that it has not replenished for years and contains just US$57,000, but critics said words were not enough.
“How can you say it’s an emergency if we’re not going to put a new nickel in it?” said Joseph Parks, medical director of the nonprofit National Council for Behavioral Health, which advocates for addiction treatment providers. “As far as moving the money around, that’s like robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
“Show me the money,” Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi said.
Trump’s audience included parents who have lost children to drug overdoses, people who have struggled with addiction, first responders and lawmakers.
Trump also spoke personally about his own family’s experience with addiction — his elder brother, Fred Jr, died after struggling with alcoholism.
It is the reason the president does not drink.
Trump described his brother as a “great guy, best looking guy,” with a personality “much better than mine, but he had a problem, he had a problem with alcohol. I learned because of Fred.”
Trump said he hoped a massive advertising campaign, which sounded reminiscent of the 1980s “Just Say No” campaign, might have a similar impact.
“If we can teach young people, and people generally, not to start, it’s really, really easy not to take ’em,” he said.
It is a path taken by former US presidents, including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, all of whom tried to rally the nation to confront drug abuse, but fell short of solving the problem.
Some people have become hooked on opioids after being prescribed pain killers by doctors after injuries or surgery.
As a presidential candidate, Trump had pledged to make fighting addiction a priority. Once in office, Trump assembled a commission, led by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, to study the problem.
The commission’s interim report argued an emergency declaration would free additional money and resources, but some in Trump’s administration disagreed.
“What the president did today was historic and it is an extraordinary beginning set of steps to dealing with this problem,” Christie told reporters at the White House after the speech.
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