White House Allocates More Money To Fight Heroin Epidemic

NPR

Published August 17, 2015 at 1:52 PM EDT

In this July 10, 2015, photo, volunteer Ruth Cote, facing, hugs a woman inside the police station in Gloucester, Mass., who has voluntarily come to the police for help kicking her heroin addiction. Gloucester is taking a novel approach to the war on drugs, making the police station a first stop for addicts on the road to recovery. Addicts can turn in their drugs to police, no questions asked, and officers, volunteers and trained clinicians help connect them with detox and treatment services. (Elise Amendola/AP)

The Obama administration today directed $13.4 million to regional drug control agencies known as High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA), including $2.5 million for what the White House is calling “an unprecedented partnership” between five regional HIDTA programs in the Northeast.

That smaller pot of money would be used to hire new police officers, as well as public health officials who would work together across state lines to identify targets and see where heroin is coming from.

Guest

Timothy Cameron, sheriff in St. Mary’s County, Maryland and a member of the Maryland’s Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force. He tweets @SheriffCameron.

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