Opioid Crisis & Drug War News
The opioid and drug addiction crisis is reported by The Daily Signal with news, analysis, and commentary on border enforcement, drug policy, and public safety.
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In 5 Points, a Former Drug Czar’s Prescription to Combat Opioids and Pot
America needs leaders who will actively discourage recreational drug use and promote “meaningful prevention” and recovery, a former White House drug czar said in remarks to a Heritage Foundation audience. Public debate over opioid deaths and legalized marijuana could spur real change in how society approaches public health, Robert L. DuPont said in his appearance…Troy Worden -
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At Bill Signing, Trump Vows to Make ‘Extremely Big Dent’ in Opioid Crisis
President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed bipartisan legislation to combat opioid abuse and highlighted the progress made so far in the fight. “Together, we will defeat this epidemic—it’s a true epidemic—as one people, one family, and one magnificent nation under God,” he said. Trump secured $6 billion in federal funding to fight the problem—the most…Fred Lucas -
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Congress Joins President, First Lady in Focusing on Opioid Epidemic
After the Senate passed the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 on a near-unanimous vote of 99-1 on Monday evening, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., described the measure as “a big additional step to help combat this nationwide epidemic.” The Senate has just passed the landmark Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018. This legislation…Ginny Montalbano -
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Eric Bolling Warns High Schoolers About Opioids: ‘One Pill Can Kill’
Following multiple calls from President Donald Trump after the death of his son, caused by an overdose on opioids, former Fox News host Eric Bolling knew that the opioid epidemic mattered to the president. “[The president] told me, ‘I don’t know how you’re doing it, but if I can help let me know,’” Bolling said…Jeremiah Poff -
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Opioids Are Now Behind 20% of Deaths Among Young Americans
A new research study suggests opioid abuse in the U.S. is now responsible for 20 percent of deaths among young adults. The study, published Friday in the journal JAMA Network Open, reveals that young Americans are dying at a far greater pace than any other group. While 1 in every 65 adults in the U.S. suffered…Steve Birr -
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Sen. Tom Cotton Backs Stricter Penalties for Fentanyl, Calling It a ‘Weapon of Mass Destruction’
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has filed legislation to allow stricter prison terms for dealers of fentanyl, a substance he calls a “weapon of mass destruction.” Cotton introduced the legislation Thursday along with Senate colleagues who include Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb. The bill would significantly reduce the amount of fentanyl a person…Steve Birr -
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Daily Signal Exclusive: Kellyanne Conway on the Opioid Crisis, Her Critics, and Being a ‘Problematic Woman’
Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Donald Trump, spoke to The Daily Signal’s Kelsey Harkness and The Federalist’s Bre Payton about the administration’s efforts to combat the opioid crisis, how she handles critics, and her take on feminism. Conway spoke at the White House’s Generation Next forum for millennials Thursday. An edited transcript of the interview…Bre Payton -
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Family Tragedy Prompts Eric Bolling to Take Action on Opioids
The opioid epidemic is the No. 1 killer of Americans under 50 years old—a startling reality that former Fox News host Eric Bolling spoke about in personal terms. Bolling delivered remarks Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference and told The Daily Signal about the tragedy that shocked his family last year. Bolling’s only son,…Rob Bluey -
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Opioids: The Crisis of Our Lifetime
Eric Hargan is about to get a demotion, and he is just fine with that. The acting secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services is more than thrilled to go back to the position he originally held. President Donald Trump tapped him to lead the agency after Tom Price resigned when scrutiny of…Salena Zito -
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2 States Ravaged by Opioids Show Difference Faith Makes
HANOVER, N.H.—There is a strong correlation between lack of religious attendance and illicit drug use, research shows in contrasting two states hit hard by the opioid crisis. The parallels are demonstrated by two comparative studies of New Hampshire and West Virginia. West Virginia suffers from an ailing economy, while New Hampshire has a strong economy,…Fred Lucas -
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We Hear You: Facing the Opioid Crisis and Defending the Marriage Views of Farmers
Editor's note: We were pretty jazzed to publish a commentary on the opioid crisis by William Bennett and Robert DuPont. We've been meaning to run some of your reactions, so let's begin with them, followed by more on the farmers banned from a farmers market . Be sure to write us at [email protected]—Ken McIntyre Dear…Ken McIntyre -
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How to Save Rural America From the Opioid Crisis
Despite his gaunt frame and sunken eyes, he walks with a distinct swagger down Tuscarawas Street. At the intersection with Cherry Street, he turns and faces the road with a blank stare. The ink on his neck and hands suggest he’s spent time in prison. There are small faint bruises on one arm. His eyes…Salena Zito -
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Getting the Opioid Epidemic Right
The numbers are staggering. Until about a month ago, we had thought drug overdoses were responsible for some 52,000 American lives in 2015. Now the most recent reporting reveals that number may be closer to 60,000 in 2016. Think about that: We could now build the equivalent of one Vietnam Memorial Wall a year given…William Bennett -
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The Opioid Crisis Is Dire. Why We Need a National Conversation About It Separate From Obamacare.
Whatever the merits or demerits of the recently released Senate version of the GOP health care bill, some have suggested that it should put more funding into treating opioid addiction. Let’s be honest—the opioid crisis in America is huge, it is severe, and it is devastating. But this partisan-fought legislation just isn’t the place to…Seth Leibsohn -
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We Hear You: Put Blame for Opioid Epidemic Where It Belongs
Editor’s note: Our five-part series by Josh Siegel about the opioid epidemic and its devastating effects in one poor New Hampshire county generated ardent responses from readers. Here are some of them.—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: The first part of Josh Siegel’s series on the opioid crisis in Coos County, New Hampshire, struck a chord with me (“This…Ken McIntyre -
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Meet the First Responders Who Encounter Death by Opioid Overdose
COLEBROOK, N.H.—Sally Zankowski is who comes when it’s too late. She’s there to define, investigate—and make sense of—another sudden death owed to opioid overdose in New Hampshire’s poorest and most remote county. Zankowski, 55, is the medical examiner for Coos County, which has the highest combined death rate due to drugs, alcohol, or suicide in…Josh Siegel -
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How a Family Doctor Works With Police to Combat a Rural County’s Opioid Epidemic
COLEBROOK, N.H.—Bruce Latham, a lanky, self-employed doctor, occupies a unique position in the depths of rural New Hampshire’s opioid drug addiction crisis. As part of his practice in Colebrook, a town of 2,300 in Coos County, Latham responds to pain by prescribing opioid painkillers. He says he empathizes with patients’ propensity to become addicted to…Josh Siegel -
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This Doctor Prescribed More Addictive Opioids Than Anyone Else in the State. Now He Tries to Overcome the Drug Crisis.
COLEBROOK, N.H.—Inside a dimly lit room at the largest health care provider in New Hampshire’s least populated county, a circle of drug addicts talk about how to recover. In this private setting a reporter agrees not to publish the addicts’ names, but most people in and around Colebrook, a decaying town of 2,300, know who…Josh Siegel -
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In New Hampshire’s Poorest County, One Opioid Addict Helps Another Choose Life Over Death
BETHLEHEM, N.H.—They came to be addicted to drugs in different ways, but ended up in the same place. Steven Blaisdell, 26, a stocky, shy son of a mailman, was first prescribed pain medicine—the opioid OxyContin—as a teenager after he flipped over his four-wheeler and broke his left femur in half. Over the past 14 years,…Josh Siegel