Sessions: Drug Overdoses ‘The Top Lethal Issue’ In The US

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is calling the epidemic of drug overdose deaths “the top lethal issue” in the United States and urged everyone to “create and foster a culture that’s hostile to drug use.”

Sessions delivered the remarks Tuesday to the National Alliance For Drug Endangered Children, which is hosting its annual conference in Green Bay.

Sessions told conference attendees that preliminary data showing nearly 60,000 overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2016 will be the highest in the country’s history.

Deaths related to heroin and prescription drug use continue to rise and must be taken seriously, Sessions said.

At one point, he accused Hollywood, the media and government officials for sending “mixed messages about the harmfulness of drugs.” He didn’t name any government officials.

“In recent years, some of our government officials, media and Hollywood have sent mixed messages about the harmfulness of drugs, accommodating messages too often,” Sessions said. “This is not acceptable. We must not capitulate intellectually or morally to drug use. We must create and foster a culture that’s hostile to drug use.”

President Donald Trump recently declared the opioid crisis a national emergency.

Sessions said the Justice Department is focused on drug treatment, prevention of abuse and enforcement of drug laws. Some health care experts say Trump’s efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act threaten attempts to expand drug treatment.

One group being watched by the Justice Department is the medical community, through analysis of data, Sessions said.

“This work can tell us which physicians are writing opioid prescriptions at a rate that far exceeds their peers,” Sessions said. “How many doctors’ patients died within 60 days of receiving an opioid prescriptions. Pharmacies that are dispensing disproportionately large amounts of opioids.”

Sessions said there are some “crooks” pretending to be in the health care business.

Sessions spoke for about 25 minutes and left without taking questions.

Editor’s Note: This story was last updated at 3:08 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017.