The White House announced early Friday morning that the federal government will provide states $1.5 billion in assistance to combat opioid addiction.
The Biden administration said the grants were given to states to allow them to “increase access to treatment for substance use disorder, remove barriers to public-health interventions like naloxone, and expand access to recovery support services such as 24/7 Opioid Treatment Programs.” The White House added that funds could be used for addiction education programs.
The White House emphasized none of the funds “will be used to purchase or distribute drug paraphernalia, including pipes.”
Each state received a minimum of $4 million, with California netting the largest sum at $107 million.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data showed that opioid addiction has been more prevalent and deadly in recent years. The CDC said overdose deaths jumped 30% in 2020 compared to 2019. Full data for 2021 is not yet available.
Illicitly manufactured fentanyl largely drove the increase, the CDC said.