Cristina Mutchler
Sessions Creates Unit To Go After Doctors, Pharmacies Pushing Opioids
The new unit, which Sessions called a "data analytics program," will "identify and prosecute" those who are "contributing to this opioid epidemic."
LEARN MOREPosted: 6:52 p.m. EDT Oct 10, 2017
First lady Melania Trump visited an infant addiction recovery center Tuesday in a region that's been at the center of the opioid epidemic.
She toured Lily's Place in Huntington, West Virginia, which cares for babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome and helps families recovering from addiction.
Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the number of U.S. babies born addicted to opioids tripled from 1999 to 2013 — with West Virginia being one of the hardest hit states.
This is Trump's first trip to a drug treatment center since her husband, President Donald Trump, took office.
Last month, the first lady held an opioid abuse roundtable discussion, meeting with families and leaders about the epidemic.
President Trump said back in August that he would declare the opioid epidemic a national emergency but hasn't formally done so yet. It was a recommendation from his Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, which has a final report due out on the topic Nov. 1.
