WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump pledged Wednesday to put an "extremely big dent" in the scourge of drug addiction in America as he signed legislation intended to help tackle the opioid crisis, the deadliest epidemic of overdoses in the country's history.
Nearly 48,000 people died last year from overdoses involving opioids. Overall, U.S. drug overdose deaths have started to level off, but Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says it's too soon to declare victory.
The legislation will add treatment options and get the U.S. Postal Service to screen overseas packages for a synthetic form of opioids called fentanyl that are being shipped largely from China.
The measure mandates advance electronic data on all international packages, including those delivered by the Postal Service, and set deadlines for the screening to be put into place by the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and the Postal Service.
Several bills supported by West Virginia legislators made it into the final package, including Jessie's Law, named for West Virginia native Jessica Grubb, which aims to better update physicians on a patient's substance abuse history; and the CRIB Act, which will help open more centers like Huntington's Lily's Place.
U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., attended Wednesday's bill signing.
"For West Virginia, this law will more than double the state's opioid funding because of a provision I secured to prioritize states like ours," Capito said in a release.
"This bill also addresses more than just addiction; it also focuses on families, prevention, education and life after recovery. I'm so proud of the work that went into this bipartisan legislation, and I'm eager to see how it changes lives for the better."
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said in a release he applauds the president's signature.
"This package is a shining example of what we can achieve when we work together in regular order, and I will continue to fight to ensure West Virginia is getting our fair share of funding to fight this epidemic," he said.
The Obama administration secured a commitment to expand treatment and Congress provided $1 billion in grants to states. Trump declared the opioid epidemic a national emergency and two major funding bills have passed under his watch.
"My administration has also launched an unprecedented effort to target drug dealers, traffickers and smugglers," Trump said. "We are shutting down online networks, cracking down on international shipments and going after foreign traffickers like never before."