Trump declares opioids "national public health emergency" -- but no extra funds

Back in August, with some pressure, Trump said he would declare the opioid crisis a national emergency.   The reason that's important is that it usually means that a lot more money for prevention and treatment will be allocated.

In mid-October, some members of the media asked why he had not yet done it, and Trump said that he was going to make the declaration . . . soon.   Why is he dragging his feet?  It makes no sense.   In 2016, 64,000 Americans died of overdoses of opioids.  It's now the leading cause of death in some age groups.

Or maybe it does make sense.   The Republicans are trying to pass a budget -- and they had already cut the funding for mental health and addiction treatment by a significant amount.    To pay for tax cuts for the wealthy.

Sure enough, on October 26th, when Trump finally got around to making his formal announcement declaring opioid addiction a "national public health emergency," there was no talk of any extra funding for prevention or treatment.

Not only that, but the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act was what had been providing some extra treatment funding for addiction treatment.  And we all know what Trump and the Republicans have been trying to do with that.

What Trump did offer was three-fold, according to the a New York Times editorial:   (1) stopping the flow of drugs from Mexico by building his wall;  (2) banning the sale of one opioid that he did not name but called "evil;"   and (3) producing "really big, really great advertising" to tell young people not to take drugs, because, you see, "If we can teach young people not to take drugs, it's really really easy not to take them."

That's the plan???    No additional money for treatment?   No money for beefing up the drug enforcement agencies?    No campaign to go after doctors who prescribe opioids indiscriminately and become "opioid suppliers"?   And still no replacement for Tom Price to head HHS or an appointee to head the Office of Drug Control Policy.  In fairness, Trump did propose Rep. Tom Marino (R-PA) for the latter job but had to withdraw the nomination when it was revealed that Marino had helped drug wholesalers make it harder to crack down on black market drug dealers.

Thirty years ago, Nancy Reagen was soundly ridiculed for her advice to young people about drugs with her infamous advice:   "Just say no."   But our problem is far far, vastly worse now than it was then . . . and "Just say no" didn't work then either.

Ralph