U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month vowed to declare the U.S. opioid crisis a “national emergency,” pledging to commit more funding and attention to the issue. And, while President Trump has yet to officially declare a state of emergency, a move that could help remove barriers and would enable the federal government to devote more funding to address the drug epidemic, healthcare organization leaders have been trying to combat the worsening opioid epidemic for several years now.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), deaths from prescription drug abuse have outpaced those from cocaine and heroin combined in the last 14 years.
