Opioids

The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is this Saturday.  The American Farm Bureau Federation said the event is a way for residents to combat opioid abuse in rural communities.   “This is an event that happens twice a year, where law enforcement teams up with community leaders and provides a disposal location where people can get rid of the unused or expired medications out of their medicine

The Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services have partnered up to create more housing for recovering addicts.   "Transition housing is an issue we hear about in so many rural communities. So here, we've been able to really explore what are some of the creative options that we have, using some of the assets and programs in USDA,” said USDA's Assistant to the Secretary for Rural

If prescription drugs, especially pain-killers, are left lying around at home, can be abused.   "Did you know, that among abusers of pain relievers, 68% obtain those pills from a friend or a relative for free?" said Nancy Hale, whose organization "Operation Unite" fights drug addiction by helping to collect prescription pain-killers, especially opioids.   ...

On Monday, the Senate passed the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018, legislation that aims to tackle the growing challenge of opioid misuse and abuse nationwide.  Washington Senator Patty Murray, has been pushing for legislation to address the growing opioid crisis.  Sh...

A new partnership by the Department of Agriculture with rural communities in 22 states seeks to support opportunities for opioid prevention, treatment and recovery. Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett announced the program Monday that will invest $10...

The presidents of the nation’s two largest general farm organizations Tuesday visited the “Prescribed to Death” opioid memorial in Washington, D.C., in a show of unity to address the national opioid epidemic that is disproportionately affecting farming communities.   American...

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts intends to introduce legislation to allow telemedicine to address rural opioid addiction.  During a recent Senate panel hearing, the Kansas Republican said rural residents suffering from substance abuse “face many challenges in accessing the clinical services they need.”   Rober...

On Wednesday, the Department of Agriculture announced it will prioritize two key grant programs to address opioid misuse in rural communities. Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett said the focused investment will target USDA resources “to be a strong partner to rural communities” in building a local response to the opioid epidemic.  USDA is r...

How is illegal drug use impacting rural America?  Ann Haslett, USDA's Assistant Secretary for Rural Development.   Nearly 64,000 Americans died from a drug overdose. And that is more than the number of people whose lives were lost either in car accidents or gun-related homicides. That's r...

According to a recent Morning Consult survey, the opioid crisis has struck farm and ranch families much harder than the rest of rural America.  While just under half of rural Americans say they have been directly impacted by opioid abuse, 74% of farmers and ranchers make the same claim.  Th...