The White House on Friday announced another $1.5 billion for states and territories to address the opioid crisis through supporting people in substance abuse recovery, treatment and public health interventions.

What You Need To Know

  • The White House on Friday announced another $1.5 billion for states and territories to address the opioid crisis through supporting people in substance abuse recovery, treatment 

  • The U.S. recorded about 108,000 overdose deaths in 2021, said Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the White House National Drug Control Policy

  • The White House also held a summit Friday to focus on recovery, including labor secretary Marty Walsh — who has been open about his own journey to recovery from alcoholism

  • The new money and efforts are part of the administration’s focus on September as “National Recovery Month,” meant to highlight the 20 million Americans in recovery

The money will come via grants through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and will go to things like overdose education, peer support specialists and other strategies to aid hard-hit communities, according to the White House.

About $100 million will go to rural communities and $54 million is set aside for tribal communities across the United States.

The U.S. recorded about 108,000 overdose deaths in 2021, said Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the White House National Drug Control Policy, on a call with reporters. About 75% of those were due to opioids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SAMHSA on Friday also awarded more than $20 million in grants to organizations that connect people with substance abuse disorders with community resources.

The White House also held a summit Friday to focus on recovery, including labor secretary Marty Walsh — who has been open about his own journey to recovery from alcoholism. 

“Recovery has given me a life second to none,” he said Friday. 

“When I went detox that first night … I thought my life was over. And I had no idea that when I was sitting in detox someday I'd be standing at the White House talking as a secretary,” he added. “And that's what recovery does.”

The summit featured recovery advocates, top health officials, the creator of the show "Dopesick," which is based on America’s struggle with opioid addiction, and Rep. Madeleine Dean, whose son is in recovery from addiction. 

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff and Dr. Gupta also walked outside the White House campus on Friday to sign a “recovery bus” traveling across the country to mobilize localized strategies to combat drug addiction.

Congress approved $22 billion to fight the opioid epidemic in this year’s budget, plus $4 billion from the massive COVID-19 relief bill passed last year.

The new money and efforts announced Friday are part of the administration’s focus on September as “National Recovery Month,” meant to highlight on the 20 million Americans recovering from substance abuse, plus the health professionals, advocates and all who have helped them.

President Joe Biden in his State of the Union address this year targeted the opioid crisis as a key issue for his presidency.

“As we consider the work ahead, let us remember that there are many pathways to recovery and that overcoming substance use disorder is courageous and difficult,” Biden wrote in his proclamation on the month.

“Let us also understand the importance of eliminating the stigmatization of addiction,” he added.  “I believe everyone who experiences substance use disorder is capable of achieving and sustaining recovery, and my Administration will support all Americans on this journey.”

Here are some of the funding amounts going to states around the country:

  • California -  $107.1 million

  • Florida - $101.3 million

  • Hawaii - $4 million

  • Kentucky - $35.9 million

  • Massachusetts - $57.6 million

  • Maine - $6.3 million

  • Missouri - $25.3 million

  • North Carolina -$35.5 million

  • New York - $56.9 million

  • Ohio - $97.4 million

  • Texas - $52.8 million

  • Wisconsin - $16.9 million