Cash, Care, & Combat: Biden’s Triple-C Attack on the Overdose Crisis

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FILE - Jessie Blanchard's jeep bumper shows a sticker with the slogan "Yes We Narcan," Jan. 23, 2023, in Albany, Ga. Naloxone, available as a nasal spray and in an injectable form, is a key tool in the battle against a nationwide overdose crisis. On Tuesday, Feb. 7, President Joe Biden faced harsh rebukes from multiple angles as he spoke during his State of the Union address about trying to contain a drug overdose crisis driven by powerful illicit synthetic opioids like fentanyl, that has been killing more than 100,000 people a year in the U.S. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
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On International Overdose Awareness Day, the White House announced it was making major moves to tackle the overdose pandemic that is hitting communities hard. The Biden administration is pouring in more than $450 million to prevent drug misuse, treat those affected, and bring traffickers to justice.

To spotlight the devastation caused, especially by illicit fentanyl, the administration has marked this week as overdose awareness week.

This photo provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Phoenix Division shows some of the 30,000 fentanyl pills the agency seized in one of its bigger busts, in Tempe, Ariz., in August, 2017. The picture shows just one of four plastic containers that were stuffed with the tablets. The Southwest, and Arizona in particular, has become Ground Zero in the nation’s fentanyl crisis with plenty of pills and powder staying behind after the drug is repackaged and sent on to New York and other U.S. destinations. Stamped with “M” and “30” like the pain medication oxycodone, the fentanyl-laced pills showed up in recent years as the Sinaloa cartel’s newest product. (Drug Enforcement Administration via AP)

A sigh of relief for many, the CDC revealed 13 months straight without a rise in overdose deaths, signaling progress in this uphill battle.

The funding includes $20.5 million towards drug-free communities, targeting local prevention efforts, and $279 million is set aside by the CDC to boost harm reduction strategies, link patients to critical care, and stay ahead of the ever-evolving overdose crisis.


Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.

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AURN NEWS WITH EBONY MCMORRIS