President Obama Proclaims September 18 - 24, 2016 Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week

On Friday, September 16, 2016, the White House issued a press release from President Barack Obama proclaiming September 18 through 24, 2016 Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week. The purpose of this week is to remember those who have been lost due to an opioid use disorder, to support individuals in recovery, and to recognize the importance of raising awareness of the opioid and heroin epidemic.

According to the press release, more Americans die from drug overdoses than in traffic accidents, and the majority of those deaths involve an opioid. In the past 15 years, the number of deaths involving opioids has quadrupled. In October 2014, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called it a "public health crisis." President Obama has called on congress to provide $1.1 billion to expand access to treatment for opioid abuse disorder, which includes access to the opioid reversal drug, naloxone.

An available resource for communities dealing with heroin and opioid usage is the BJA Law Enforcement Naloxone Toolkit, which provides law enforcement with the knowledge and the tools to reverse heroin overdoses. To check out the toolkit, please click here.  

To read the full press release, please click here.