On Friday, US President Joe Biden will announce nearly USD 1.5 billion to fund medication access for opioid overdoses, sanctions against traffickers, and increased funding for law enforcement.

The Biden administration seems to take action on a worsening nationwide opioid crisis, which according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, fueled more than 107,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021.
Biden will likely announce nearly USD 1.5 billion in grants from the US Department of Health and Human Services to states, territories, and tribal lands.

The funds would be used to treat substance-use disorders and remove barriers to key tools like naloxone, a medication that can reverse opioid overdoses. The grants would also be funding recovery support services, peer support specialists, overdose education efforts in emergency departments, as well as care for stimulant use and misuse disorders, including cocaine and methamphetamine.

Biden will also announce an additional USD 12 million in funding for law enforcement in regions suffering the worst of drug trafficking. This would be in addition to USD 275 million announced in April.