President Trump on Thursday declared the opioid crisis in America a Public Health Emergency. Trump has directed The Department of Health and Human Services to declare a public emergency under the Public Health Service Act in regards to the opioid epidemic that has plagued the country. More people are dying from opioid overdoses than at any other time in history. People across the country have been facing the death of family members and children being left orphaned due to drug addiction, leaving families destroyed.
During the press conference, President Trump stated, "the epidemic is a national health emergency, no one has seen anything like what is going on.
As Americans, we can not allow this to continue," Trump said.
President Trump reflected about his own brother who had also dealt with addiction to alcohol. Fred Trump Jr. his older brother was only 43 years old when he passed away in 1981. President Trump stated," Fred was a great guy, a handsome person. He was the life of the party. He was a fantastic guy but got stuck on alcohol, Trump said.
Trump recalled," he would tell me don't ever drink," and that he took his brother's advice and never had a drink in his life nor does he ever want to. His brother's death left an impact on the President's life.
Plans to aggressively address opioid addiction
The Trump administration is planning to aggressively address the epidemic head-on.
They are planning to take certain opioid prescriptions off the market and to develop non-addictive painkillers. The Justice Department is also aggressively going after drug traffickers that contribute to the epidemic and bring drugs into the country. Efforts will be made to educate children and adults alike in order to combat addiction before it begins.
It is hoped that with early intervention people will be more aware of the effects and consequences of addiction.
First responders and doctors will work together to help addicts overcome their addictions. People will have better access to opioid treatments through telemedicine for addiction. More people will be hired faster to help in states that need more assistance.
The Labor Department will also make Dislocated Worker Grants available for opioid addicts, and will also help workers who are addicted, in finding work.
Children addicted to opioids
Opioids are a very powerful drug and are derived from the poppy plant. Opiates are used for pain relief and are highly addictive. Most people are introduced to the drug through their doctors and over time the person becomes hooked. The more they use it, the more they also build a tolerance for the drug making the effects less which causes people to use more. The more the person uses it causes overdoses and death.
All across America, almost everyone knows someone who has become addicted. Parents have lost children and children have been left without parents.
Babies are also being born, at higher rates, addicted to opiates and must go through many medical problems throughout life. Some children in the United States have also accidentally overdosed and died from having access to opiates that their caregivers or families have kept in their homes.
One of the youngest children to die was Alton Banks from Miami, FL. Banks was only a 10-yr old in 5th-grade. No one knows where or how he got ahold of the drugs and the case is still being investigated. Shantell Banks, Alton's mother, never had any opiates in her home and it is believed he might have gotten them from the community pool he was at that day
With the new plans for opiate addiction being implemented, it is the hope of the White House to curb addiction. It will take years for the United States to eliminate opiate usage.
