Demand funding for California's opioid epidemic

The U.S. opioid epidemic has reached a critical point: More people are dying from overdoses than from car crashes or from gun deaths. The national opioid epidemic is being felt acutely in California, where in 2015 alone, 4,600 people have died from drug overdoses.

Physicians and hospitals throughout California are taking steps to cut down on opioid prescriptions and prevent overdose deaths. But Californians are still suffering. While overdose deaths seem to have leveled off since 2009, hospital admissions due to overdose have increased steadily.

The White House Commission on Combating Drug Addiction released a report in August calling this crisis unparalleled, and said we must act boldly as a country to stop it. While the White House administration recently announced $485 million in state grants to combat the crisis, more work needs to be done. Additional funding is needed to research and understand the causes of opioid addiction, and to fund options for those needing substance use treatment.

Sign the petition to demand more funding to stop the opioid epidemic.