Memo: Combating The Opioid Epidemic - A Bipartisan Platform

By Ethan Winter Senior Analyst, Data for Progress

Introduction

Nearly 72,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2019—a record number—according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and an increase of nearly 5% from 2018.

2020 will likely be even worse. Drug deaths have risen an average of 13 percent so far this year over last year, according to data collected by the New York Times. 

People experiencing substance use disorders are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19, and are more likely to die once diagnosed than the general population. The risk of adverse outcomes for those with substance use disorders and the coronavirus is even greater for African Americans.

As part of a mid-September 2020 survey, Data for Progress polled likely voters about their attitudes regarding drug use and their support for various treatment proposals. There is strong, bi-partisan support for a range of ambitious policies to tackle overdose. This set of compelling, common sense policies create a public health platform that prioritizes increasing access to care rather than incarceration, stopping preventable overdose deaths, making treatment widely available and accessible, and supporting people to recover and get the care they need. Several of these policies can be put in place immediately, and without additional costs to taxpayers.

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