Trump signs executive order to combat drug addiction, substance abuse

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is launching a new federal effort to combat drug addiction and substance abuse, calling the issue one of the most serious challenges facing the nation.

"Today, I'm signing a historic executive order to combat the scourge of addiction and substance abuse," he said at the signing ceremony at the White House.

The initiative will be known as the “Great American Recovery Initiative,” he added.

Trump noted that substance abuse continues to exact a heavy toll across the US.

"We lose an estimated 300,000 people to drug and alcohol abuse (every year), and the real number is probably much, much higher than that," he said.

The president pointed to recent progress, however, saying overdose deaths declined sharply over the past year.

"Thankfully, drug overdose deaths plummeted by 21% in the last year," he said, crediting ongoing federal efforts to address the crisis.

"We're working very hard on it," he added.

He said his administration closed the southern border and seized over 47 million fentanyl pills and 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder.

"Drugs entering our country by sea are down 97%," he added.