by Kathleen Giffin

The opioid epidemic has seized the United States in a vise of addiction and death. Roughly 100 Americans die everyday due to overdose. In Huntington, West Virginia, they have seen forty deaths in a day because of the addiction. It has been clear for a long time that something must be done about this national crisis.

On October 26, 2017, President Trump signed a memorandum declaring the opioid epidemic to be a national crisis. In an address to the White House, he shared a story about his brother who was an alcoholic and died at the age of 43. Trump shared his brother’s struggle with addiction stating that, “I learned because of Fred.”

The White House plans to fund the effort to combat the drug epidemic through the Public Health Emergency fund, although many question where the money will come from in the slim budget. The government plans to take steps to improve the situation by giving grants to those who are too addicted to find work and by hiring those who can help with the crisis. People, however, are doubtful that these efforts will make a lasting impact, if they make one at all.