Donald Trump declares US will 'win' fight against deadly opioid crisis
'Strong law enforcement is absolutely vital to having a drug-free society,' the President said
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has declared that the US “will win” the fight against the opioid crisis.
While stopping short of calling the “deadly epidemic” a national emergency, the President has promised to “protect innocent citizens from drug dealers that poison our communities.”
“I have had the opportunity to hear from many on the front lines of the opioid epidemic, and I'm confident that by working with our healthcare and law enforcement experts we will fight this deadly epidemic and the United States will win,” Mr Trump said alongside administration officials at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
“We're also very, very tough on the southern border where much of this comes in, and we're talking to China, where certain forms of man-made drug comes in and it is bad.”
Earlier this year, Mr Trump told Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto that he won the state of New Hampshire during the presidential election because it is “a drug-infested den”.
“And we have the drug lords in Mexico that are knocking the hell out of our country,” Mr Trump said, according to a transcript of the conversation obtained by the Washington Post. “They are sending drugs to Chicago, Los Angeles, and to New York.”
The Trump administration has so far not announced any new policies to confront the opioid crisis.
After meeting with the President about the issue, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price told reporters at a press conference that Mr Trump “is fully engaged.”
Other meeting attendees included First Lady Melania Trump and top White House adviser and Mr Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Mr Price was repeatedly asked why the President is not declaring a national emergency, as his opioid commission recommended last week.
“The president certainly believes that it is, that we will treat it as an emergency – and it is an emergency,” Mr Price said. “When you have the capacity of Yankee stadium or Dodger stadium dying every single year in this nation, that’s a crisis that has to be given incredible attention and the president is giving it that attention.”
Since 1999, the number of overdose deaths involving opioids – including prescription opioids and heroin – quadrupled, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency reported that the number of prescription opioids sold in the US has also nearly quadrupled since 1999, but that there has not been an overall change in the amount of pain Americans report.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments