Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the current drug epidemic is to blame for a spike in violent crime.
Speaking at a Drug Enforcement Administration 360 Heroin and Opioid Response Summit in West Virginia on Thursday, Sessions said the current drug epidemic is a “serious trend” that has to be addressed immediately.
“We know drugs and crime go hand in hand. Drug trafficking is an inherently violent business,” he said. “It demands an all hands on response from government [and] law enforcement.”
He added: “Strong [law] enforcement is crucial. People should not deminish the power and efffectiveness of good law enforcement.”
But overall, Sessions said the most important tool in fighting the current drug epidemic is prevention, pointing toward old-school programs such as “Just Say No” from the 1980s and Drug Abuse Resistance Education, known as DARE.
“Over time, prevention will help us be most effective,” he said.
Sessions also stressed the importance of shutting down drug cartels by increasing border patrol.
“It’s our country and our streets,” he said to applause.
The nation’s highest law enforcement officer also said it is crucial for local law and state law enforcement too work together with the federal government.
“Eighty-five percent of law enforcement in America is state and local. There must be a coordinated effort,” he said.
In West Virgnia, a resident dies every 10 hours from a fatal drug overdose.
According to the West Virginia Health Statistics Center, the national heroin and opioid epidemic killed at least 864 people the state alone in 2016.
