Trump declare opioid epidemic public health emergency – here’s what that means (Report)

President Trump officially declared the opioid crisis a “public health emergency” Thursday afternoon.

“This epidemic is a national health emergency,” Trump said from the White House, flanked by people who have lost loved ones or themselves struggled with addiction.

“As Americans, we cannot allow this to continue,” the president added.

Trump laid out details of how his administration plans to combat the growing crisis – including promoting a massive anti-drug ad campaign – and instructed the Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary to declare the epidemic a public health emergency.

It’s important that the full weight of the federal government – with each Cabinet department determining their role in the crisis – is involved in tackling the epidemic, said Tom Coderre, a former official with the Obama administration’s HHS Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services…