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Abstract
Deaths due to opioid drug overdoses have increased nationwide, particularly in rural America and suburbia. Congress approved two bills in 2016 to fund anti-addiction programs, and state governments are working with federal authorities to address what they are calling a public health crisis of addiction to opioid painkillers and heroin. New challenges abound: Pockets of the country are seeing a rise in overdoses of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid painkiller 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, and an even deadlier new drug cocktail called “gray death.” President Trump has appointed New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie to lead a task force focused on combating opioid abuse.