Trump signs law providing billions of dollars for drug addiction recovery

Key Highlights

• It includes a range of services aimed at combating drug addiction and addressing mental health needs, along with initiatives to strengthen research and provide loan repayment for professionals treating substance abuse.
• Funding will still depend on future congressional appropriations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADTrump’s ‘war on drugs’The legislation represents Washington’s latest push to confront the public health crisis of drug addiction and overdose deaths, particularly those linked to fentanyl, a powerful painkiller.
• Trump has leaned heavily on the issue, citing it to justify imposing tariffs on China to restrict fentanyl and precursor chemical flows, increasing border security, and launching attacks on suspected drug-trafficking vessels near Venezuela. More from World Is Trump cancelling World Aids Day in the US?
• ‘Ridiculous lie’: Venezuela slams US over ‘Cartel de los Soles’ terror tagThe US has carried out more than two dozen strikes on alleged drug boats, and Trump has threatened to expand the campaign to targets on Venezuelan territory as his administration faces questions about the legality of the operations. How does the law help?The new law also includes changes to speed up the delivery of certain controlled substances, including when they are self-administered in a doctor’s presence.
• It directs federal agencies to establish a special registration process allowing doctors and other medical professionals to prescribe controlled substances via telemedicine, a step Congress first ordered in 2008. The initiative has won bipartisan support on Capitol Hill and backing from health advocates, who say it will strengthen resources for people in need amid an opioid crisis that contributed to most of the country’s fatal drug overdoses last year. Quick ReadsView AllSteve Witkoff & Jared Kushner: Trump’s unconventional negotiators pushing for peace in UkraineHong Kong launches 'independent committee' to probe deadly fire as death toll climbs to 151Follow Firstpost on Google.