Trump’s Opioid Commission Doesn’t Address the Main Causes of Addiction

Fighting the opioid epidemic requires reducing childhood trauma across various contexts, but under President Donald Trump’s recent budget proposal, instances of trauma are poised to increase.

On March 29, President Donald Trump announced a new commission to tackle opioid addiction. The stakes could not be higher — public health officials have deemed the opioid crisis the “worst drug crisis” in U.S. history. In 2015 alone, opioid overdoses claimed the lives of an estimated 33,000 Americans.

But considered in the context of his broader domestic policy agenda, President Trump’s commission provides cold comfort for the families and communities that have been ravaged by the opioid crisis.

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