ROSENTHAL REPORTS
TRUMP’S TROUBLING “GET-TOUGH” OPIOID STRATEGY
President Trump unveiled his long-awaited anti-opioid strategy, but much of what he said was disappointing.Instead of focusing on expanding treatment – especially long-term residential treatment for the most vulnerable addicts – the President proposed a “get-tough” law-enforcement approach as a way to end this national epidemic.But harsher drug sentences, building a wall on the southern border and advocating the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes won’t stop the surge in drug overdoses.We must be tough on crime, to be sure. But let’s also be tough (and thoughtful) on treatment. The urgent need is for greater access to treatment once an addict has been revived from an overdose and starts a drug regime to reduce cravings.The president also mentioned advancing medication-assisted treatment (MAT), wider use of overdose-reversal drugs, reducing opioid prescriptions and helping vets and prisoners stay off drugs.All good ideas – yet that requires more money. Congress has already allocated $6 billion in new funding to fight the epidemic. That’s not enough. We need to immediately double the block grants to the states to $3.8 billion annually over the next decade. Let the states take the lead so more troubled Americans get the treatment they desperately need.
