White House panel recommends declaring national emergency on opioids

Some public health experts said the main effect of declaring an emergency would be to make Americans regard the epidemic more urgently
The New York Times (US)
Monday, July 31, 2017

President Trump’s commission on the opioid crisis asked him to declare a national emergency to deal with the epidemic. The members of the bipartisan panel called the request their “first and most urgent recommendation.” “With approximately 142 Americans dying every day, America is enduring a death toll equal to Sept. 11 every three weeks,” the commission members wrote, referring to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina considered the report “incomplete when it comes to making sure all Americans have access to affordable health care, which includes mental health and substance abuse treatment.” (See also: Thousands died in opioid crisis while Trump commission stalled on delivering crucial report)