Last Month, Trump’s opioid commission released a preliminary report urging the president to declare a state of emergency. Such a declaration would focus additional government resources on an epidemic that kills more than 142 Americans every day.
“America is enduring a death toll equal to September 11th every three weeks,”
The scourge of opioid addiction and abuse has only gotten worse. According to a new study, the third quarter of last year saw the highest rate of overdose deaths ever seen in the United States.
Yet it seems that the president doesn’t want to listen. Despite the fact that the commission is being led by one of his staunchest allies - NJ Gov. Chris Christie. Instead of extra resources for public health, he and his cabinet - lead by Attorney General Sessions - want to use the criminal justice system to arrest more people and give them longer sentences.
The short sighted solution will force taxpayers to pay billions in order to prosecute, house and feed the growing number of arrested without addressing the real issue; ending the cycle of addiction and helping those suffering get their lives back on track.
Governors from Massachusetts to Alaska have used emergency declarations to access new tools and create new policies that have helped them tackle the crisis head on. Now it’s time for our president to do the same nationally. But a declaration isn’t enough, he needs to back it up with real solutions - not just hardline criminal justice rhetoric.
The President needs to do everything in his power to end this crisis. Sign the petition and ask Trump to accept the Opioid Commission’s recommendation and take action to end this national emergency.
