On Saturday, September 24 the U.S. Department of Justice released a memo from Attorney General Loretta Lynch announcing a three-part strategy - prevention, enforcement, and treatment - to address the country’s prescription opioid and heroin epidemic. The strategy was released during Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week, which President Obama proclaimed as part of his commitment to address the rising public health challenges caused by this growing epidemic.
The memo includes action items for each part of the strategy as indicated below:
Prevention:
- Strengthen Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs)
- Ensure Safe Drug Disposal
- Prevent Overdose Deaths with Naloxone
Enforcement:
- Investigate and Prosecute High-Impact Cases
- Enhance Regulatory Enforcement
- Encourage Information Sharing
- Fund Enforcement-Related Research
Treatment:
- Share Best Practices for Early Intervention
- Support Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)
- Promote Treatment Options Throughout the Criminal Justice System
As part of the “Prevent Overdose Deaths with Naloxone” action item, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) was called on to promote the use of the Law Enforcement Naloxone Toolkit by state, local, and tribal agencies that do not already have a naloxone program. The BJA Naloxone Toolkit is a one-stop clearinghouse designed to answer frequently asked questions about naloxone, a fast-acting prescription medicine that works to reverse overdoses caused by opioids. It also provides resources, including standard operating procedures, training guides, community strategic plans, outreach materials, and memoranda of agreement to support law enforcement.
To view the announcement and memo, please click here.