Congress’s new spending deal commits more money to combat an opioid epidemic that’s led to hundreds of thousands of drug overdose deaths since the late 1990s. But while experts and advocates welcome the funding, there are a few reasons for caution.

To deal with this, Dr. Leana Wen, the health commissioner of Baltimore, has suggested “a Ryan White for the opioid epidemic” — a reference to the program, launched in the 1990s, that created a health care safety net for people with HIV and communities hit hardest by the disease. The idea is to create a source of funds that officials on the ground know they would be able to rely on for years to come.

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If you hear members of Congress tell it, this is really the moment that federal lawmakers are taking the opioid epidemic seriously. “Many of these policies seem to be tinkering around the edges,” Dr. Leana Wen, the health commissioner of Baltimore, told me. 

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In her op-ed, Dr. Wen expresses her concern's with President Trump's opioid plan.

"Yesterday, President Trump announced his plan to curb the opioid epidemic. While it is laudable that he is devoting time and attention to this issue, much of his announcement is deeply troubling."

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President Donald Trump on Monday rolled out his three-part plan to tackle the opioid epidemic -- including some programs long championed by public health advocates -- but it's the proposal to impose the death penalty on drug traffickers that has raised the most eyebrows.

Dr. Leana Wen, Baltimore City Health Commissioner, said "The war on drugs has not worked," she said. "The last thing we need is to further criminalize the disease of addiction. We need for everyone to understand addiction is a disease, that treatment exists and recovery is possible."

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