Biden administration seeks to expand access to treatment amid opioid pandemic

The Biden Manager will submit its drug control strategy to Congress on Thursday as officials debate over ways to limit the far-reaching rise. opioid crisis and overdose.

The National Drug Control Strategy 2022 focuses on tackling untreated drug addiction and drug trafficking, two key drivers of the epidemic, the White House said in a fact sheet. overdose, which claimed the lives of nearly 107,000 people between November 2020 and November 2021.

Federal strategy calls to action to expand access to harm reduction interventions – including drug test strips, syringe service programs and naloxone, which can prevent drug use drug overdose – as well as targeting the illicit profits of drug traffickers.

Dr Rahul Gupta, head of the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy, told reporters during a call: “Drug overdose comes with a heartbreaking price. “This is the most dynamic drug environment we’ve seen in this country.”

Naloxone often doesn’t reach people at risk of overdose because of limitations and lack of funding at the community level, Gupta said, calling limited access to the life-saving drug “nothing” Acceptable.”

According to the 2020 National Health and Drug Use Survey, only 2.7 million of the 41.1 million people who needed treatment for a substance use disorder in the previous year received treatment in institutions. special office.

As part of his drug policy agenda, President Joe Biden emphasized evidence-based prevention and harm reduction, as well as approaches to reducing supply, to save lives. The new strategy is “a leading harm reduction approach to meeting people where they are and engaging their interest and service,” the White House said.

The strategy also leverages federal agencies to target the financial gains of illicit drug traffickers and shipping routes through the Caribbean and along the Northern and Southwest border to reduce the supply of illegal drugs, according to the fact sheet.

The number of drug-related deaths has continued to rise in the US after surpassing 100,000 for the first time in a 12-month period last year, according to data released by the organization. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Biden’s proposed fiscal year 2023announced last month, calls on lawmakers to approve an additional $600 million to support his drug control efforts, including $300 million for Customs and Border Protection and $300 million to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

at Blogtuan.info – Source: nbcnews.com – Read the original article here