President Trump Announces Plan to Fight Opioid Addiction

March 19, 2018

Rob Way/ WEBN-TV

By Catherine Lazerwitz 3/19/2018

President Trump unveiled a three-part plan today to fight the opioid epidemic during a rally at Manchester Community College in New Hampshire, where illicit drug use among 18 to 25 year olds is among the highest in the nation.

Specifically, the multifaceted approach will focus on reducing overall drug use, increasing life-saving measures and treatment for those suffering from addiction, and legislating greater penalties for drug-related crimes. In an effort to “fight the scourge of addiction in America once and for all,” Trump said he intended to include the death penalty for those who brought drugs into the country and perhaps even those who sell them.

The president was joined on stage by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, the First Lady Melania Trump, his longtime advisor Kellyanne Conway as well as local law enforcement, families who had lost loved ones to addiction, and New Hampshire activists.