Biden Announces $1.5 Billion in Funding Against Addiction & Increased Levels of Cartel Sanctions

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

Amid pressure by Republicans to designate cartels as terrorists and label fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD); Biden has announced funding to fight addiction and further sanction efforts against traffickers. The statements do not classify either as such.

White House Fact Sheet

President Biden recognizes the devastating impact the overdose epidemic has had on this nation – reaching large cities, small towns, tribal lands, and every community in between. That’s why in his first State of the Union, President Biden made beating the opioid crisis a key pillar of his Unity Agenda and outlined critical actions the Biden-Harris Administration is taking to address this crisis and support the tens of millions of Americans in recovery.

Today, the White House announced the following new and recent actions as part of National Recovery Month:

Awarding $1.5 Billion for all States and Territories to Address Addiction and the Opioid Crisis

The U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), awarded nearly $1.5 billion to support states, tribal lands, and territories’ efforts to address the opioid crisis and support individuals in recovery. The grants are part of SAMHSA’s State Opioid Response and Tribal Opioid Response grant programs. The grant programs provide funding to states and territories to increase access to treatment for substance use disorder, remove barriers to public-health interventions like naloxone, and expand access to recovery support services such as 24/7 Opioid Treatment Programs. The funding will also allow states to increase investments in overdose education, and peer support specialists in emergency departments, and allow states to invest in other strategies that will help save lives in hard-hit communities. The full funding tables can be found below.

Investing over $104 Million to Expand Substance Use Treatment and Prevention in Rural Communities to Beat the Overdose Epidemic

HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced investments of over $104 million to public, private, and non-profit entities working to expand access to treatment and prevention services for substance use disorder in rural communities. This effort is part of the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP), a multi-year initiative aimed at reducing the prevalence of substance use disorder and preventing overdose deaths in rural America. This funding will help create new sites that provide medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder in rural communities, support workforce mentorship, and training, and allow communities to invest in education and outreach to prevent and treat substance use disorder.

Investing $20.5 Million to Increase Access to Recovery Supports

HHS through SAMHSA is awarding $20.5 million in grant funding to organizations that help connect individuals who have substance use disorders with community resources. This funding will help individuals with substance use disorders who are moving through the drug court system restabilize their lives by expanding prevention and treatment programs and increasing access to community behavioral health promotion services.

Releasing New Guidance to Support and Facilitate Greater Access to FDA-approved naloxone products

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued guidance intended to facilitate the distribution of FDA-approved naloxone products, with the goal of saving lives by supporting the drug’s increased availability to underserved communities who need access the most. The guidance, which is effective immediately, helps to address some of the obstacles that have existed in obtaining access to naloxone and may help eligible community-based programs acquire FDA-approved drugs directly from manufacturers and distributors.

Recently, due to several overdoses in Los Angeles high schools from fentanyl laced pills; the Los Angeles Unified School District announced that schools will begin to stock Naloxone, also known as Narcan at all K-12 schools in case of student overdoses.

Announcing Additional Funding for Law Enforcement Officials on the Front Lines of the Overdose Epidemic

In April, to support the implementation of President Biden’s National Drug Control Strategy, ONDCP announced $275 million for the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program to support law enforcement officials working to reduce violent crime, improve data sharing, and dismantle illicit finance operations of drug traffickers. To further support these efforts, today ONDCP announced an additional $12 million for new HIDTAs, public health and public safety partnerships working to prevent overdoses, and efforts to prevent gun crimes associated with drug trafficking, all of which will make our communities safer and healthier.

Releasing New Guidance for Employers to Create Recovery-Ready Workplaces

The Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) launched the Recovery-Ready Workplace Resource Hub with information and resources for businesses, unions, and others to explore the benefits of becoming recovery-ready workplaces. The hub was developed with support from numerous federal partners and will be updated and expanded over time.

Deploying Financial Sanctions to Disrupt Global Drug Trafficking Operations

Since the issuance of President Biden’s Executive Order (E.O.) 14059 in December, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has used this new authority to designate 27 individuals and 17 entities involved in drug trafficking. Recent actions include designations of individuals tied to the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), a violent Mexico-based organization that traffics a significant proportion of illicit fentanyl and other deadly drugs that enter the United States. Working with the U.S., foreign partners, and industries, the U.S. Department of the Treasury will use sanctions to target the global fentanyl supply chain, particularly in Mexico, to disrupt the illicit production of synthetic opioids like fentanyl, which continue to drive overdose deaths. For more on the Treasury Department’s counter-narcotics sanctions program, see here.

To support these and other efforts, President Biden’s FY 2023 budget request calls for a historic investment of $42.5 billion for National Drug Control Program agencies, a $3.2 billion increase over the FY 2022. Significant increases in funding are for critical public health interventions including research, prevention, treatment, and recovery support services, with targeted investments to meet the needs of populations at greatest risk for overdose and substance use disorder. President Biden’s budget request also includes increased investments for law enforcement officials working to reduce the supply of illicit drugs like fentanyl that str driving the overdose epidemic.

Consistent with federal law, none of the initiatives or investments announced today will be used to purchase or distribute drug paraphernalia, including pipes.

Sources White House, KTLA 5