In Support of President Biden’s Unity Agenda, White House Drug Policy Director Travels to Michigan to Discuss Efforts to Address the Overdose Epidemic and Save Lives

Detroit, MI – This week, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Dr. Rahul Gupta traveled to Michigan to discuss efforts to address the overdose epidemic and save lives. Dr. Gupta met with Michiganders on the frontlines of the overdose epidemic – including law enforcement, public health officials, and state and local leaders – to discuss the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic actions and investments to tackle this epidemic, and highlight the critical partnerships needed at federal, state, and local levels to save lives.  

“Addressing the overdose epidemic has been a top priority for President Biden and Vice President Harris, and a key pillar of their Unity Agenda for the Nation,” said Dr. Gupta. “As the latest data shows that the number of overdose deaths are continuing to decline across the country, it was heartening to be in Michigan to see the progress being made across the state to address substance use, lower barriers to treatment, and target illicit drug trafficking. State and local partnerships are critical to strengthening our whole-of-society response to beat this crisis, and we will continue working together with our partners on the ground to build healthy, safe, and resilient communities.”

On Tuesday, Dr. Gupta participated in a roundtable discussion with public health and public safety officials, including members of the Michigan High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program, to hear about their work to address substance use, reduce stigma, and support recovery. Earlier this spring, the Administration announced over $276 million in new funding for HIDTA programs in every state across the country, including more than $3 million for the Michigan HIDTA. In the afternoon, Dr. Gupta visited the Detroit Recovery Project to learn about the mental health, substance use, and recovery support services they provide to the community. After the visit, Dr. Gupta joined the Love Detroit Prevention Coalition, supported by ONDCP’s Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program, to recognize their efforts to prevent youth substance use and ensure young people can lead healthy and fulfilling lives. President Biden and Vice President Harris have made supporting our nation’s youth and strengthening their well-being a top priority. Just last month, to mark the start of a new school year, the Administration awarded nearly $94 million in new funding through the DFC Support Program to more than 750 local community coalitions nationwide working to reduce youth substance use in their communities.

In the evening, Dr. Gupta met with faith and local community leaders to discuss efforts to increase training on and access to life-saving opioid overdose reversal medications like naloxone as part of the White House Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose. Earlier this month, the Biden-Harris Administration announced over 250 voluntary commitments to the Challenge from organizations, businesses, and stakeholders across the country. During the discussion, the faith leaders shared ways they are working to foster welcoming environments in places of worship for people struggling with substance use disorder or in recovery.

On Wednesday, Dr. Gupta toured the Detroit Port of Entry (POE), where he met with federal, state, local, and Canadian law enforcement officials to highlight actions the Biden-Harris Administration has taken to crack down on illicit drug trafficking across the country. Over the past four years, the Administration has invested significant amounts of funding for law enforcement efforts to address illicit fentanyl trafficking and seized historic amounts of illicit drugs at our border. In FY 2024, the Detroit Field Office inspected over 12.9 million travelers, 400,000 conveyances entering the U.S., seized 7,581 pounds of narcotics and arrested 227 suspects.

President Biden and Vice President Harris have made addressing the nation’s overdose epidemic a top priority of this Administration and a key pillar of the President’s Unity Agenda for the Nation, focused on issues where all Americans can come together and make progress for the nation. Under their leadership, more than $327 million in federal drug control funding went to Michigan last year, and the latest provisional data from the CDC data shows that overdose deaths decreased by 22 percent across the state in the 12-months ending in May 2024.

When President Biden and Vice President Harris took office in January 2021, the number of overdose deaths were increasing 31% year-over-year. Monthly provisional data released from the CDC shows that drug overdose deaths are continuing to fall. The latest provisional data from the CDC released this week shows a 12.7% reduction in overdose deaths in the 12-months ending May 2024, which is the largest recorded reduction in overdose deaths and the sixth consecutive month of reported decreases in predicted 12-month total numbers of drug overdose deaths.

Read White House Drug Policy Director’s statement on the latest drug overdose death data HERE.

Read more on the Biden-Harris Administration actions to address the overdose epidemic HERE.

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