Acting Director Baum Strongly Supports President Trump’s Announcement on the Opioid Epidemic

Baum agrees with the President: Opioid Epidemic needs a full-scale response

Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, President Donald J. Trump announced that he instructed his Administration to use all appropriate emergency and other authorities to respond to the crisis caused by the opioid epidemic.

In response to the announcement, Richard J. Baum, Acting Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said, “I strongly support President Trump’s announcement to further address the opioid epidemic. We are currently facing the worst drug epidemic in American history. The President is providing clear and decisive leadership we need to help us get assistance to those who need it most.”

Earlier this week, Acting Director Baum joined the President and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price in Bedminster, New Jersey, to further discuss the opioid epidemic with President Trump.

More than 2.4 million Americans currently struggle with opioid addiction. In 2015, more than 33,000 people died from drug overdoses involving opioids, and crude data for the first three quarters of 2016 indicate that the drug overdose death rate is still increasing.

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