Indopedia All Things Marijuana
Lead photo via Flickr user Gage Skidmore
After months of empty promises and needless delays, President Trump finally declared America’s ongoing opioid crisis a national emergency. But while most expected the commander-in-chief to invoke the National Emergencies Act to release federal funding for prevention and intervention services, Trump did not, instead opting to declare the deadly addiction problem a public health emergency — a significantly less drastic measure does not carry the same financial promises.
When it came time to announce the long-overdue declaration, Trump once again proved his ignorance of the subject. Using broad anti-drug talking points, the president failed to mention the pharmaceutical industry or the failing criminal justice system at all, choosing instead to echo Nancy Reagan’s famously ineffective “just say no” prevention strategy.
“Every person who buys illicit drugs here in America should know that they are risking their futures, their families and even their lives,” Trump said in a press conference Thursday afternoon. “Illegal drug use is not a victimless crime. There is nothing admirable, positive or socially desirable about…
