(Newswire.net — August 19, 2017) — Over the next ten years, 650,000 people are expected to die from an unhealthy addiction to drugs designed to reduce pain. The opioid epidemic in America has been escalating at a relentless pace for the past few years and is now such a major health concern that politics is being shaped by it.

President Donald Trump didn’t mince words when he mentioned the issues during his 2016 campaign for office. Trump clearly called out the issue and said he would “spend the money,” to end the epidemic and offer treatment to those who were fighting addiction. That could mean encouraging natural remedies or placing new restrictions on the pharma companies that promote painkillers. Either way, it’s a war the Trump administration must fight and win for the sake of America’s health.

Here’s a closer look at how that war has developed so far and whether the Trump Administration could actually end the crisis.

Opioid Commission

At the start of his term, President Trump set up a commission to examine the problem and figure out a solution. The Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis is being led by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), Dr. Bertha Madras, former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D), North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R).

Working with the Centre for Disease Control, the commission found that 142 Americans die due to an opioid overdose every day. Collectively, the epidemic has killed more people than the Vietnam War. More people die due to an overdose of prescription drugs than in the 9/11 attacks every three weeks. Considering the scale of the problem, the commission has submitted a report with recommendations for the President.

Recommendations

The policy recommendations include a waiver for states who are trying to offer drug treatment under the Medicaid program. Currently, drug addiction is treated as a mental health issue and regulations prevent patients from getting Medicaid.

The commission also recommends creating a federal fund to help addicts, improving access to addiction antidote naloxone, enforcing laws that put addiction on the same level for insurers as other health issues, and funding further research into opioid addiction and new treatments.

Perhaps the most stunning recommendation the commission made was to declare the opioid epidemic a national emergency.

National Emergency

Declaring a national emergency would be a sudden and welcome escalation in the Trump administration’s fight against the opioid epidemic. It would empower the government to cut through bureaucracy and expand access to treatment for addicts across the nation. The government could also use its new powers to negotiate lower prices for the addiction antidote naloxone recommended in the commission’s report.

Six states already have powers similar to this which enables them to deal with the epidemic more effectively.

Declaring a national emergency would be seen as the first concrete move the administration has taken to tackle the opioid epidemic. Experts argue that the war is being fought on two fronts: treating people with addiction and ensure more people don’t get addicted to fancy new drugs available on the market.

Such a move would indicate the country is finally on its way to a full recovery.