[White House] ‘opioid cabinet’ sidelines drug czar’s experts
*tent city sign from Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of criminal contempt for illegal detentions of undocumented immigrants, and was subsequently pardoned in August of 2017 by President Trump.
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway has taken control of the opioids agenda, quietly freezing out drug policy professionals and relying instead on political staff to address a lethal crisis claiming about 175 lives a day. The main response so far has been to call for a border wall and to promise a “just say no” campaign.
[The current President] declared a public health emergency at a televised White House event and talked frequently about the devastating human toll of overdoses and addiction. He has endorsed anti-drug messaging and tougher law enforcement. But he ignored many of the recommendations from former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s presidential commission about public health approaches to addiction, access to treatment, and education for doctors who prescribe opioids.
Original Article (Politico):
Kellyanne Conway’s ‘opioid cabinet’ sidelines drug czar’s experts
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