Page 5 - Aruba Today
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U.S. NEWS A5
Wednesday 30 March 2016
Obama highlights growing opioid abuse problem
KEVIN FREKING President Barack Obama listens to moderator Sanjay Gupta speaks during a panel discussion at
Associated Press the National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit at AmericasMart in Atlanta, Tuesday, March 29, 2016.
ATLANTA (AP) — The trajec-
tory of opioid deaths in the (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
United States is trending in
the wrong direction and programs, would still make Congress recently allowed as staff and equipment,
should be atop the federal important strides. federal money to be used but not for syringes them-
government’s radar screen Obama spoke during a for certain expenses, such selves.
along with the threat of ter- panel discussion with doc-
rorism, responding to natu- tors and recovered drug
ral disasters and promoting addicts. He said drug ad-
a strong economy, Presi- diction in the past has
dent Barack Obama said been treated as a law en-
Tuesday. forcement problem, while
Obama said more people the public often viewed
are being killed from opi- it as a character flaw.
oid overdoses than from Obama said the opioid
traffic accidents. “I think epidemic shows that ad-
the public doesn’t fully diction touches everyone.
appreciate yet the scope He alluded to his
of the problem,” Obama drug use as a youth, saying
told about 2,000 people he was lucky that addic-
attending the National Rx tion “didn’t get its claws in
Drug Abuse & Heroin Sum- me,” except for nicotine.
mit. Obama is an ex-smoker.
Obama’s appearance at Obama said the U.S. can
the conference came as cut opioid abuse in the
his administration issued same way it has lowered
proposed regulations and tobacco use and traffic fa-
announced new fund- talities.
ing for states to purchase White House officials said
and distribute the opioid most of the additional $1.1
overdose reversal drug, billion that Obama seeks
naloxone, and to train first would fund agreements
responders and others on with states to expand med-
its use. The actions also co- ication-assisted treatment.
incide with a commitment Along those lines, the De-
from 60 medical schools to partment of Health and
heighten training for pre- Human Services issued a
scribing opioids. proposed rule allowing
Opioids are highly addic- physicians who prescribe
tive drugs that include both Buprenorphine to give it to
prescription painkillers like more patients to help them
codeine and morphine, reduce or quit their use of
as well as illegal narcot- heroin or other opiates.
ics, primarily heroin. Deaths The proposed rule would
linked to opioids soared to expand the limit from 100
more than 29,000 in 2014, patients to 200.
the highest number on re- The department also is issu-
cord. ing guidance to programs
Congress is attempting to that allow intravenous
allocate more resources drug addicts to trade dirty
to the problem, one area syringes for clean ones.
where bipartisan agree-
ment may be reached dur-
ing the election year. But
the White House is critical
of a Senate bill it says lacks
critical funding. Obama is
seeking $1.1 billion in new
money to expand treat-
ment for opioid addiction,
which is about triple cur-
rent levels.
“The problem we have
right now is treatment is un-
derfunded,” Obama said.
Republican senators note
that the bill, along with
$400 million appropriated
earlier for opioid-specific
