The Biden administration is rolling out $1.5 billion in funding Friday meant to help state and local governments fight the opioid epidemic.
Senior administration officials note that President Joe Biden highlighted the “overdose epidemic” as a “key pillar” of his Unity Agenda in 2022’s State of the Union address, and the White House claims that Friday’s announcement will help “large cities, small towns, tribal lands, and every community in between.”
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“I know how much we all worry about substance abuse and use among young people. … It’s important more now than ever to prevent youth substance use and to help people with substance use disorders achieve and maintain recovery,” said second gentleman Doug Emhoff during a briefing previewing Friday’s action. “Our progress will not end here. We want everyone to know that this administration has your back. And we’re just getting started.”
The $1.5 billion in direct funding is being distributed through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s State Opioid Response and Tribal Opioid Response grant program. Officials say that states can use the funds to “increase access to treatment for substance use disorder, remove barriers to public-health interventions like naloxone, and expand access to recovery support services such as 24/7 Opioid Treatment Programs.”
The administration is additionally seeking to help states “increase investments in overdose education, peer support specialists in emergency departments, and allow states to invest in other strategies that will help save lives in hard-hit communities,” according to the White House.
The Biden administration’s Office of National Drug Control Policy is additionally directing $12 million in funding to support law enforcement officials working in “High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas.” This comes on the heels of a $275 million commitment in April aimed at helping law enforcement “prevent overdoses, and efforts to prevent gun crimes associated with drug trafficking.”
California and Florida are the largest grant recipients, with both totaling more than $100 million, and are followed closely by Pennsylvania and Ohio. All four states are viewed as hotbeds of the opioid crisis.
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“This administration, starting at the top with President Biden, recognizes the value of recovery, and we’re working to build a recovery-ready nation,” Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, added in a statement. “Defeating this epidemic and supporting people in recovery is not a red state or a blue state issue. It’s not a rich or poor issue. It’s not a rural-urban issue. It is America’s issue. We can all come together on common sense solutions.”
