Trump signs major opioid crisis measure into law News
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Trump signs major opioid crisis measure into law

US President Donald Trump signed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act into law Wednesday, a measure to combat the opioid crisis by reducing drug demand through education, awareness and prevention efforts, enhancing treatment and recovery, and cutting off the supply from traffickers.

The act has been deemed “the single largest legislative package addressing a single drug crisis in history.” SUPPORT is the short name for “Substance Use–Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment.” Trump’s administration is partnered with the National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Truth Initiative and Ad Council to focus the education toward youth and young adults.

In preventing opioid addiction, the act induces research aimed at “efforts for innovative therapies to prevent addiction, to offer non-addictive pain management alternatives, and to improve overdose prevention tools.” Among other actions to eliminate drug trafficking, the act will help to protect the borders, ports of entry, and waterways and “require more advanced data to flag high-risk international mail shipments.” Other provisions address establishing measures to curtail shipments of synthetic opioids like fentanyl, funding research into non-addictive painkillers, and requirements for the Food and Drug Administration to allot smaller amounts of prescription opioid pills.

The Senate voted 99-1 to pass the bill last month with Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) giving the only vote against the legislation.

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