Trump’s Opioid Commission Releases Report; Funding A Common Theme

Nov. 03--President Donald Trump's opioid commission, in an expansive report released Thursday that ranges from enforcement to treatment and research, repeatedly discussed issues with funding to combat the crisis involving the drugs that are used legally and illegally.

"The Commission urges Congress to respond to the President's declaration of a public health emergency and fulfill their constitutionally delegated duty and appropriate sufficient funds to implement the Commission's recommendation," the Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis wrote in the lengthy report.

This report comes about a week after Trump declared the epidemic a public health emergency, falling short of calling it a national emergency that would have allowed for more significant funding to be diverted to combat the issue that has killed thousands in Connecticut alone.

A member of the commission, former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, brother of state Sen. Ted Kennedy Jr., visited Connecticut this summer and urged the declaration of a national emergency.

"If these were any other ... illness, we would call this for what it is and that's a public health crisis," Patrick Kennedy said. "If these were any other illnesses, we would be calling for the president to declare a national state of emergency."

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, has been vocal in recent years about the need for funding to fight the opioid crisis.

"Patients and families who have lost loves ones to the opioid epidemic need less talk and more action from the federal government," Blumenthal said. "While the Commission's report includes important measures to curb the crisis -- such as expanding access to naloxone and supporting prescription drug monitoring programs -- the glaring absence of any recommendation of robust, new funding is a punch in the gut for the countless individuals and families struggling with opioid addiction."

Blumenthal urged his fellow members of Congress to pass a bill, Combating the Opioid Epidemic Act, which would provide $45 billion over the next 10 years to efforts aimed at stymieing the crisis's lethal toll.

"Strong, long-term funding--not just paltry rhetoric--is needed now more than ever," Blumenthal said.

The commission acknowledged issues within the current system of federal funding, largely done through block grants to states.

"It is clear that each federal agency has goals related to reducing drug use and misuse and provides funding for such activities," the commission wrote. "However, from the vantage points of states, this funding is not well coordinated, and applying for funding from the many different agencies, is a tremendous administrative burden for states."

The commissions recommendations were varied and included increasing access to the life-saving overdose drug naloxone and putting more funding into medication-assisted treatment, an evidence based approach to recovery.

Gary Mendell, CEO of the Connecticut-based addiction organization Shatterproof, said he was encouraged by some of the report, but thought it fell short in terms of treatment guidance.

"Today's recommendations fail to address comprehensive addiction treatment. The country needs a national standard of care for addiction treatment programs," Mendell said in a statement.

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