Beating the Opioid and Overdose Epidemic

On February 7, at 9:00 PM EST, President Joe Biden delivered his second State of the Union address to the 118th United States Congress. 

“COVID no longer controls our lives,” said President Biden. The US President said the nation is writing the next chapter of the American story, a story of progress and resilience. With optimism, he discussed how the country is a realm of countless possibilities, and his administration is proof that anything is possible. 

“That's always been my vision of our country, and I know it's many of yours: to restore the soul of this nation; to rebuild the backbone of America, America's middle class; and to unite the country,” Mr. Biden said. 

The President shared several game-changing laws that have made a massive difference in the lives of millions of Americans. He also announced a new set of policies to continue to make progress in advancing his Unity agenda and delivering results for families across the nation.

His speech touched on the administration’s significant achievements in the past two years. These include the record-breaking 12 million jobs created, controlling inflation for six straight months, and how 10 million Americans started small businesses in the past two years. 

Mr. Biden also discussed their plan to strengthen the semiconductor and automobile industries, leading to more jobs. The Biden Administration also plans to drive the country’s rank back to the top in terms of infrastructure through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The US currently ranks 13th. 

The President also highlighted the Democrats and Republicans had worked together to pass crucial legislation that would impact the lives of millions. President Biden expressed his optimism about their continued cooperation in passing more laws. 

President Biden Highlights Major Fentanyl Problem and Other Major Health Concerns 

Toward Quality Care for People With Opioid Addiction

Among the administration’s victories,  President Biden proudly mentioned the passing of the law, making it easier for doctors to prescribe treatments for opioid addiction. In February 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released an updated Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids. 

These restrictions aim to give millions of Americans suffering from chronic and intractable pain improved access to opioid painkillers as recommended by their doctors. These guidelines, however, cautioned against prescribing highly addictive painkillers to new patients unless nothing else worked. 

As a result, certain states needed to amend or repeal existing statutes that limited opioidprescriptions to three to seven days. It also affected those with existing limits on the daily dose doctors can prescribe. 

A Journey Toward American Recovery  

Fentanylremains a major problem in the US. In 2022 alone, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized a historic 260,000 pounds of illicit drugs, including 15,000 pounds of fentanyl. The government, through the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s (ONDCP) High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA), seized 26,000 pounds of fentanyl in the same period. 

President Biden cited the case of Doug from Newton, New Hampshire, who had written to him and his wife, Jill, about his daughter, Courtney. Like millions of other Americans, the President said that Courtney had discovered pills in high school. This discovery spiraled into addiction and eventually into a fentanyl overdose. Courtney was only 20 years old when she passed. 

President Biden discussed how Doug and his family had turned pain into purpose, working to end the stigma and change laws. He told us he wanted to start a journey toward American recovery. She then assured how he stood by Doug and that “fentanyl is killing more than 70,000 Americans a year.”

Putting a Stop on Fentanyl Addiction 

In response to this drug problem, President Biden proposed launching a major surge to stop fentanyl production, sale, and trafficking. That includes installing more drug detection machines, cargo inspection, and stopping pills and powder at the border. He also intends to work with courier companies like FedEx to inspect more packages and impose strong penalties to crack down on fentanyl trafficking. 

President Biden also discussed how the US government is expanding access to evidence-based prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery. In the coming year, his administration plans to deliver more life-saving naloxone to communities struck by fentanyl. The government also plans to ensure every jail and prison across the nation can provide treatment for substance abuse disorder. 

The Biden-Harris Administration intends to build on the historic progress to expand access to medications for opioid disorder drastically. That includes launching a national campaign to educate young people on the dangers of fentanyl and how naloxone saves lives.

Other Pressing Health Concerns 

Aside from fentanyl addiction, President Biden also highlighted how vital it is to accelerate progress to end cancer. Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in America. As a response, President Biden and his wife renewed the Cancer Moonshot to cut cancer-related deaths in the country by half in the next 25 years. The program also aimed to improve the experience of individuals, families, and caregivers living and surviving cancer. 

President Biden also highlighted how health crises go beyond people’s physical health. He discussed the ongoing mental health crises that affect millions of Americans daily. To put things into perspective, 40% of American adults experience symptoms of anxiety and depression, while there was a 30% surge of similar symptoms among children and adolescents. 

That is why, in the past year, President Biden called for additional actions to advance his Mental Health Strategy across its three objectives: 

• Supporting Americans by creating healthy environments

• Strengthening system capacity

• Connecting more Americans to proper care. 

“When millions of young people are struggling with bullying, violence, trauma, we owe them greater access to mental health care at their schools,” said President Biden.

It Starts With You

Combating these major health issues, including drug addiction, takes collective action. That’s why SuboxoneDoctor.com remains committed to helping people connect with the best healthcare professionals in the country to help them on their path to recovery and freedom from drugs. We can help you or your loved ones receive the proper care you deserve. 

Visit SuboxoneDoctor.com for more resources on addiction treatment and access our comprehensive online directory to start your journey to sobriety