White House to Tackle America’s Mounting Opioid Addiction

More treatment options, prevention programs, and cutting off supply routes should begin to turn the tide

Paramedics assist a man after administering the opioid-blocker Narcan to revive him from an overdose in Montgomery County, Ohio, on Aug. 3, 2017. Benjamin Chasteen/The Epoch Times

WASHINGTON—For many people, all it takes is a few painkillers, often obtained through a friend or family member.

America’s opioid crisis is built on prescription pills—80 percent of new heroin users start their habit this way. Once hooked, the addict typically exhausts all options to obtain more prescription pills, until heroin, then fentanyl, becomes the cheaper, more accessible option.