Pubdate: Tue, 25 Jul 2017
Source: Tennessean, The (Nashville, TN)
Copyright: 2017 The Tennessean
Contact: http://www.tennessean.com/SITES/OPINION/submit-editor.shtml
Website: http://www.tennessean.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/447
Author: Richard Baum

DONALD TRUMP'S DRUG CZAR: PRESIDENT 'COMMITTED' TO BATTLING
  OPIOID
EPIDEMIC

Re: "Why the United States needs a national drug policy," by Dr.
Stephen Patrick.

As the acting director of National Drug Control Policy, I felt
compelled to respond to the well-intentioned but inaccurate op-ed the
Tennessean ran on July 11.

Dr. Stephen Patrick. assistant professor of pediatrics and health
policy at Vanderbilt University, wrote a passionate defense of the
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the
federal government's work to address drug use and substance use disorder.

I couldn't agree more that ONDCP plays a vital role in leading and
coordinating the federal government's work on the drug problem, and
that our national drug policy must focus on prevention and expanding
access to treatment.

We are in the midst of the worst drug epidemic in American history,
with more than 52,000 people dying from drug overdoses in 2015.
Preventing drug use from beginning in the first place is critical to
preventing the opioid epidemic from getting worse, and so is
connecting people to the treatment they need. In 2015, 76 percent of
people who needed treatment for a substance use disorder didn't seek
it.

Dr. Patrick and I agree that this must be addressed -- and that's
exactly what the Trump Administration is doing.

President Trump hit the ground running when he took office. In March,
the White House established the President's Commission on Combating
Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, which is looking at the epidemic
with fresh eyes to make sure the federal government is doing
everything it can to address this crisis. The commission's final
report is expected in October.

In April, the Administration sent nearly $500 million in new funding
out to the states to address the epidemic locally, including more than
$13.8 million to Tennessee. This is a national crisis but its symptoms
show up in our communities -- in our hospitals, jails, schools, and
neighborhoods, so it's critical that we work to address the crisis on
the local level, and this federal funding will help our communities do
this.

And at ONDCP, we are working hard on the president's first National
Drug Control Strategy, which will come out early next year.

Since President Trump named me as ONDCP's acting director, I've
engaged with people in communities across the country including
parents affected by this epidemic, local law enforcement, public
health and first responders, and state and local leaders.

Last week, I saw Vermont's hub-and-spoke treatment model in action,
which is making it easier for people to access the treatment they need
closer to home, and I spoke to more than half of the country's
governors about what we need to do as a country to address this epidemic.

The important actions I've listed all happened because President Trump
is committed to addressing this crisis, and that includes utilizing
ONDCP's skills and expertise. This is an important point to make
because Dr. Patrick's op-ed mischaracterized the Trump
Administration's plan for ONDCP and, by extension, our national drug
policy.

Contrary to Dr. Patrick's claim, the president's Fiscal Year 2018
Budget request to Congress does not call for drastically cutting
ONDCP's budget -- the president requested more than $368 million for
ONDCP, including the highest-ever amounts for our two grant programs,
the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) and Drug-Free
Communities (DFC) programs, which work to reduce the supply and demand
for drugs in communities across the country, including here in Tennessee.

The Trump Administration knows how serious this crisis is and is
working hard to address it. I appreciate Dr. Patrick standing up for
ONDCP and a strong national drug control policy. Ending this epidemic
will take everyone working together.

Richard Baum is the acting director of National Drug Control
Policy.
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MAP posted-by: Matt