Emergency in name only

• Autores: Jessica Hamzelou
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 3163, 2018, págs. 22-23
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • America's opioid crisis has spiraled further out of control. The latest figures reveal that more people in the US are dying from opioid overdoses than from motor vehicle accidents. The country's life expectancy has dropped for the past two years running, thanks in part to drug overdose deaths. In October last year, Pres Donald Trump acknowledged the scale of the crisis by declaring a public health emergency. This temporary emergency period lasted only 90 days, and expired on Jan 23. A renewal has already been announced, but during the first emergency period, the administration has achieved little, if anything. A report, commissioned by Trump and published in November last year, made 56 recommendations for combating substance use disorder, such as making treatment more accessible, sending people to drug courts rather than prison, and supporting affected families. None has yet been implemented, and no additional funds were made available for desperately needed treatment centers and prevention programs. It is no wonder, then, that one of the report's authors, former Democratic representative Patrick Kennedy, described the administration's approach as "a sham" and "tantamount to reshuffling chairs on the Titanic" in an interview with CNN